Thought Dead
by Eleanor Larathiel
Summary: A smile of those who died so long ago... the eyes of one who knows so much.... the magic that has died so long ago... is now reborn. Eleanor tries her best to fulfill her god farther's wish, to keep her true identity secret.... but for how long can she?
1. Familiar

Familiar...  
  
The compartment door slid open and a girl with brown bushy hair stepped in. "Have you seen a frog?"  
  
"No." Harry and Ron said. The girl's head looked searchingly up and down Harry and her eyes finally rested upon his lightning bolt scar. "I know who you are!" she said excitedly, "You're Harry Potter! I'm Hermione Granger! Pleased to meet you!"  
  
"Aren't we all?" Ron said sarcastically.  
  
"And you are?" Hermione inquired frowning slightly at the sight of Ron's ragged robes and his sarcasm.  
  
"Ron Weasley." He replied.  
  
"Pleasure." She said with the same frown.  
  
"Hermione?" a girl's voice called, "Hermione? There you are! Have you found Neville's frog yet?" A girl with black wavy hair and soft hazel eyes stood at the doorway. Harry felt his stomach jolt. She looked so familiar. Those eyes...  
  
"Oh," The girl continued, "Met some new people?" She said as she smiled at Harry and Ron. "I'm Eleanor Granger, Hermione's sister! Nice to meet you!" She said beaming at them. Harry felt another jolt in his stomach. That smile! So sincere! He had seen it before... but where? While he was wondering about Eleanor, she continued talking, "And you two are?"  
  
"Ron Weasley and Harry Potter!" Ron answered for both of them. Eleanor smiled again. Harry noticed that even thought she knew he was Harry Potter; her eyes didn't search him up and down and then stare at his forehead. Some how he felt gratitude towards her, she made him feel comfortable. She seemed nothing like her sister Hermione they were totally opposite, he thought. "You two better get changed!" Hermione ordered breaking Harry's trance, "We are arriving soon!" and she walked out of the compartment, closely followed by her sister.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~  
  
As they pilled out of boats and on to the stone front steps of Hogwarts Harry saw the blond kid again, the one he met in Diagon Alley. "So, is it true?" he asked in a jeering manner, "You're Harry Potter, huh? And your hanging around this?" he added as he nodded towards Ron, "why don't you make acquaintance with better people Potter? People worth your friendship? Like me!" He said holding out his hand, "My name is Draco Malfoy."  
  
Harry looked down at his hand and stared coldy up at him. 'You are not even worth half my friendship,' He thought, but said instead, "I think I can make my own friends, thank you Malfoy."  
  
Draco was about to answer back when a voice behind him made him snap his mouth close abruptly. "First years! Welcome to Hogwarts the school of witchcraft and wizardry! You will be sorted into you houses shortly after entering the Great Hall! My name is professor McGonagall. Please follow me in an orderly fashion!" said an elderly, thin, strict looking woman. The followed her into a huge hall filled with the chatter and laughter of the older students.  
  
"As I call your name off the roll," Professor McGonagall continued, "you are to sit on this stool so that I can place the Sorting Hat on your head. Then it will shout out the name of your house and you will go join them. Your house will be like your family, as you will be spending most of your time with them!"  
  
They all stared at the old ragged hat, the older students with looks of slight interest and amusement; the first years with a looks of horror and curiosity. Harry overheard a boy whisper to Eleanor "Oh no! In front of the whole entire school! What if I trip?"  
  
"Don't worry Neville, you won't." she replied, "Just stay-"  
  
They were interrupted as suddenly the brim of the hat burst open and started to sing a song explaining the origins of the houses and their qualities. All the first years stared at the Sorting Hat in amazement. As the song ended with and loud applause by all the older student. Professor McGonagall straightened herself up and rolled out the long piece of parchment that she held in front her.  
  
"Abbott, Hannah!" Professor McGonnagal said, and a small timid looking girl stepped towards the stool and sat down on her eyes darting around nervously. "Hmmmm...." The hat said, "Let's see... I know! Hufflepuff!" and the girl stood up and ran towards the applauding table.  
  
It continued on as Professor McGonagall called out names of the first years in alphabetical order and the first years sat down on the stool and ran to their house table as they got sorted. "Slytherin," Ron muttered as a fat, porky, blond girl got sorted into that house, "that's where all the Dark wizards and witches come from..." Harry made a mental not that he would not mind being in any of the houses except Slytherin.  
  
Harry glanced at Eleanor she looked nervous and excited, standing on the tip of her toes trying to see over Ron's head. He saw something glimmer at the base of her neck and the opal pendant, the only thing he had from his late parents, apart from the gold in Gringots, with a 'HP' engraved on the opal gave a twinge under his robes. She caught him looking at it and she quickly tucked it under her robes with a quick smile.  
  
"Granger, Eleanor!" and Eleanor stepped up to the stool, her fists clenched. Harry noticed that a lot of the staff at head table turned around and followed her with their eyes, staring as she sat down. Most of the stares were curious and wondering stares and a man with long black greasy hair leaned forward and whispered something to the man sitting next to him with long silver beard and crescent moon spectacles. "Ah...." The Sorting Hat said, "hmmmmm... now you're hard! Brave and honest heart... a secret; not a bad one. Okay I won't tell them! Don't worry!" he continued as she muttered desperate pleas not to mouth it out loud. "Well..." he said "you'd do well in... Gryffindor!!!" Eleanor sighed with relief as she got up from the stool and joined the other Gryffindors, who applauded her.  
  
"Granger, Hermione!" a trembling Hermione walked up to the stool muttering to herself, causing Ron to comment, "You wouldn't want to be in her house!"  
  
"Tough luck!" Harry replied grinning as Hermione got sorted in Griffindor and ran towards her sister's embrace. Ron's face fell. "Damn it!" he swore, "My whole family is in Gryffindor!"  
  
"Malfoy, Draco!" and the blond Malfoy boy walked arrogantly toward the stool and sat down. The Hat had barely touched his head as the hat shouted "Slytherin!" Draco smirked and walked coolly to his applauding house table.  
  
Some more people got sorted and Harry started to get nervous. His stomach plunged as he heard: "Potter, Harry!"  
  
"Good luck!" Ron whispered and Harry walked up to the stool and he could feel all the eyes of the entire school set upon him, some students even standing up to see him. "Well..." the hat said as he got placed onto Harry's head, "strange... noble heart... brave... honest...talent obviously..."  
  
"Not Slytherin, not Slytherin!" Harry muttered closing his eyes...  
  
"Not Slytherin? You will do mighty fine there!" "Not slytherin!" "Okay, well then... Gryffindor!" The whole Gryffindor house, his house, exploded with claps and cheers. He turned back and saw the man with the long beard applauding him silently.  
  
"Welcome to Gryffindor, Harry!" said a boy with red hair, whom Harry suspected was Ron's brother. "Great choice!" said an identical boy shaking his hand as he seated himself next to Hermione, "We're Fred and George Weasley! Nice to meet you!"  
  
"Look now it's Ron's turn!" Fred exclaimed, "Keep your fingers crossed guys! So he won't trip over his mammoth feet!!! " He added with a grin as Ron walked up to the stool.  
  
"I know exactly what to do with you!" the Sorting Hat shouted, "Gryffindor!" Ron grinned broadly as he sat down next to Harry, "Not bad Ron!" George said, "We all thought you were gonna trip!" As the last few students got sorted, the man with the silver beard stood up and silence spread over the whole hall. "Who's that?" Eleanor whispered to Fred. "The headmaster, professor Dumbledore!" he replied.  
  
"Welcome to Hogwarts!" professor Dumbledore said spreading his arms out in a warm welcoming gesture, "Please TUCK IN!" and as he said that the golden plates and dishes in front of them filled with food. Again, loud chatter and laughter filled the Great Hall. "Wow! Look at the ceiling!" Ron said with a mouth full of steak, "There's no ceiling!"  
  
"Of course there is," Eleanor replied, "It's enchanted to match the sky outside."  
  
Hermione nodded and said, "Anyone who read 'Hogwarts: A History' would know that," causing Ron to roll his eyes.  
  
"Say Hermione, don't you two know a lot about the wizarding world!" George remarked, "and both of you are muggleborn!"  
  
"Well, yes, because our parents were scared we would be behind you all," she answered, "They bought lots of books to read about magic so that we could catch up and at least have an idea about the wizarding world."  
  
"You probably know more than Ron and Harry put together!" Fred mused, dodging Ron's punch.  
  
No sooner had they finished eating and the food scraps disappeared from the plates leaving them shining and sparkling as ever. Everything went quiet again as all the older students turned their head towards the head table, the first years following suit.  
  
"I hope you are all looking forward to a wonderful year at Hogwarts and hopefully your brains will be a bit heavier by the end!" professor Dumbledore said as he rose to his feet.  
  
"As all the older students should know by now, the Forbidden Forest is named for that reason, it's forbidden to enter it!" his eyes resting upon Fred and George nodding slightly, smiling.  
  
"Well furthermore I would advise all of you to avoid the corridor on the third flour, if you want to avoid a rather painful death. Mr Flich also tells me to inform you that the list of forbidden items outside his office has been updated and to feel free to go and check it now and then." Harry noticed a dirty, bad-tempered man standing in the corner nodding.  
  
"Well that's all I have to say for now! So good night all you sleepy- heads!" he concluded his blue bright eyes sparkling.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
"First years!" a commanding voice shouted, "Follow me!" Harry, Ron, Eleanor and Hermione turned and saw a prefect beckoning them to follow him. "That's my brother. Percy." Ron informed them. They followed Percy with the other Gryffindor first years down a corridor, as they walked past numerous paintings Harry noticed that they too moved around and could speak as they waved at the first years.  
  
"Be careful of the stairs!" Percy warned, as he led them towards a flight of stairs "They can change directions, and beware that there are some steps missing!" He added as Neville Longbottom got his foot stuck in the gap.  
  
They followed Percy down another corridor until they reached a life-size portrait of a fat lady in a pink flowery dress. "Well, well, well," she said looking down at the first years, "what a bright bunch we have this year! Entrance password please!" she said looking at Percy, "Lahora." he replied and she swung her portrait forwards revealing a stone archway leading into a comfortable spacious room filled with comfortable looking, squashy armchairs and a merry fire crackling in the hearth.  
  
"This is the Gryffindor common room!" Percy said, "the boy's dormitories are to your left up the stairs and the girl's to your right! Good night." He left and went to his dorm leaving the first years in the common room.  
  
"Wow!" Ron acclaimed looking around, "My brothers told me about Hogwarts and Gryffindor, but I never imagined it to be like this!"  
  
"Yeah," a sandy-coloured haired boy said, grinning, "It's huge! By the was I'm Seamus and this is Dean!"  
  
"I'm Ron and this is Harry!" Ron replied pointing at Harry.  
  
"Merlin's beard!" Dean exclaimed, his eyes doing the usual search up and down his body and finally resting upon his scar.  
  
"You're Harry Potter!" Harry nodded; he was getting tired of this.  
  
"We're Eleanor and Hermione Granger," Eleanor said smiling at Dean and Seamus, "Nice to meet you!"  
  
"Wow!" Seamus replied turning towards the two girls, "You're not twins are you?"  
  
"No," Hermione said curtly, "we're not!"  
  
"Hmm... I thought so, 'cause you two don't one bit alike!" Seamus remarked with his strong Irish accent.  
  
"No we don't, do we." Eleanor said yawning, "Well, good night everyone!" she said and headed up towards the girl's dormitory. Harry saw Ron's eyes following her, his mouth hanging slightly ajar.  
  
He grinned and said, "Like her?"  
  
"No..." Ron replied, but his face told a different story.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
"Professor Dumbledore?" a female voice inquired through the fireside in the headmaster's office, "May I have a word please?"  
  
"Sure, Minerva!" professor Dumbledore replied, "Step right through." Through the eyes of a muggle this was absurd, a full grown woman by the names of Minerva McGonagall stepped out of the fireside, but to a witch or wizard this was a perfectly normal way of transporting yourself from on fireplace to another in a very short phase of time.  
  
"So what's the matter?" Dumbledore asked, sitting down behind his desk and mentioning McGonagall to be seated.  
  
"Did you see that girl?" she replied, "Eleanor Granger?"  
  
"Yes, I saw her and I see what you mean." Dumbledore said, "Familiar, huh?"  
  
"Yes.... very.... Must have seen her before somewhere, but something tells me it's more important than that!" McGonagall pondered.  
  
"Well leave her, maybe she the daughter of a former student that you taught, we'll know in time. After all she'll be here for seven years!" Dumbledore suggested.  
  
"But, it can't be!" McGonagall persisted, "Her records show that she is a muggle-born. I can't have seen her or her parents."  
  
"Hmm..." Dumbledore placed his chin on his fingertips, deep in thought.  
  
"Professor? Am I right that you feel the same?" she asked.  
  
"Yes... she looks familiar, but it can't be..." he replied vaguely, "Well I don't know." He said snapping back into reality, "let's hope for a good prosperous year Minerva and don't let deja vu bother you. Good night!"  
  
"Good Night!" and she stepped back into the fireplace and returned to her office.  
  
~~  
  
A/n: Okay, I'm kinda new, but anyway, this is my first fic. Thanks to my beta-reader... Rain Warrior, and here's the disclaimer:  
  
The world of Harry Potter DOES NOT belong to me. Duh. It belongs to JK Rowling. (Except Eleanor! Who is mine.) 


	2. The First Day

Well... here's my next chapter... And thanks again to my better-reader Rain Warrior! As you can see I like to stick to the main storyline of J.K. Rowling (I stress 'main' as if I don't change it a bit, there would be no point in this) but adding my character Eleanor in, changing it quite a bit. I hope you like it! And please Review! And tell me if there are any mistakes please!!! =P  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
The First Day  
  
"Morning Harry! Morning Ron!" Eleanor greeted them as they entered the Great Hall taking a seat opposite her.  
  
"Where's Hermione?" Harry asked, searching up and down the table with his eyes.  
  
"Right here!" she replied, "Hermione?"  
  
no response,  
  
"Hermione?" Still no response, finally she gave up and pulled a thick book away from her sister's face, smiling, causing Ron to turn a tomato-red.  
  
"Hey!" Hermione protested, "Give that back!"  
  
"If you must read non-stop Hermione, at least don't go into a trance again!" Eleanor said irritated, "Honestly! You do it all the time!"  
  
"Sorry!" Hermione replied sheepishly, "I swear I won't do it again!" she added picking up her book again flipping through the pages.  
  
"Wow!" Ron exclaimed looking down at his tie, "They change to the Gryffindor colours!"  
  
"Yeah," Eleanor explained smiling making Ron to turn red again just as he was turning back to his normal colour, he was actually waiting for Harry's reply. "They have to mark us in some way to show us which house we're from." Hermione looked up from her book, "Honestly! Didn't you know?" she said in a know-it-all-voice.  
  
"How ya doin' Harry?" a great booming voice, with a Yorkshire accent, asked. Harry looked up and saw Hagrid smiling down at him.  
  
"Holy Merlin!" Ron swore a bit of toast hanging limply out of his mouth, " I know you! You're Hagrid!"  
  
"And you're one of the Weasley boys!" Hagrid replied smiling broadly, "Yeah! I'm Ron! My brothers told me all about you!" Ron continued looking Hagrid searchingly up and down. "How do you know Harry?" "I helped Harry get his school supplies!" he said winking at Harry.  
  
"Who's this?" Hagrid asked, pointing at Eleanor, who was staring at him. "I'm Eleanor Granger!" she said, "and this is Hermione! Hermione! Lower your book!" she added as she noticed that Hermione didn't even look up when her name was mentioned.  
  
"Oh! I'm sorry!" she said looking up from her book, "Hello!"  
  
"Well gotta go folks! Can't keep me gamekeeper duties waiting." Hagrid said turning to leave, "Good luck on your first day!"  
  
"You do know, that you two were half an hour late right?" Hermione questioned finally laying her book down and looking at them. "Our lessons are going to start in twenty minutes. I would be more organized if I were you!" she said passing them their timetables.  
  
"Did you get lost?" Eleanor asked kindly. "Yes, we did," Harry replied, "Hogwarts is SO big! And with all those moving stairs and hidden passageways, it doesn't make it any easier!"  
  
"Well there are things around called maps you know!" Eleanor said turning a piece of parchment over, "Here you can have mine Hermione and I can share."  
  
"Thanks!" Harry said. He marveled at her kindness towards him, he had been wondering a lot about her since he saw her necklace glimmering. It has reminded him a lot about his.  
  
"Looks like we have potions next." Eleanor said, trying to start a conversation with the shy Ron, "We might want to leave early so that we can get there on time." Ron just mumbled an agreement and avoided her eyes, by staring down at his cereal instead.  
  
* * * "Mr Potter! Can you please tell me what will happen when I added powdered root of asphodel to and infusion of wormwood?" What on earth? Harry thought, as Hermione's hand shot into the air. He gave Ron a pleading look, but Ron's eyes told him didn't have a clue either. He gave up and said, "I don't know sir... but I think she does!"  
  
"Well, well, well so it proves my hypothesis that knowledge doesn't come automatically with fame!" professor Snape sneered meanly, causing the Slytherins to roar with laughter. "This is not looking very good Mr Potter! Don't you read your textbooks before starting a year? Or do you think that the famous Harry Potter doesn't need to read his textbooks, because he is to high and mighty?" Again the Slytherins exploded with laughter as they heard their head of house insult the Gryffindor. "Ten points from Gryffindor. I hope that will dampen your ego a bit, Mr Potter." Harry scowled at his back as he walked away. Why did he hate him so much? What had he done to this Snape for him to loath Harry? These thought swum through Harry's mind as he copied down the recipe on the board.  
  
The lesson continued somewhat unpleasantly as professor Snape walked up and down the rows breathing down Neville's neck, reading a mistake he had made.  
  
"Mr Longbottom! It says bezoar! Not benzoate! I'll recommend getting glasses Mr Longbottom, as flaws like these do not go hand-in-hand with Potions!" he ended greasily. Leaving Neville shaking with fear, sweat beads forming on his forehead.  
  
Harry looked up, resting his aching hand; (he just wasn't used to writing with a quill yet), and caught Ron looking, or rather gaping, at Eleanor. Her hair was hanging down onto the table on one side, cheeks pink and flushed with concentration, her soft hazel eyes moving up and down the page every now and then checking her work.  
  
"Mr Weasley!" Snape snapped, making Ron and Harry jump, "If you can't concentrate around your peers, please move!" Ron looked down at his work, Hermione rolling her eyes and Eleanor frowning, she obviously didn't know what just happened, Hermione just thought that Harry and Ron had been talking.  
  
* * * For the next lesson the Griffindors and Slytherins found themselves outside standing on dewy, morning grass in front of the castle. A shrill whistle sounded in the distant as a short woman with short spiky grey hair approached them.  
  
"My name is Madame Hooch! Please find yourself a broom and stand next to it!" she ordered. Harry found himself a broom and stood next to it, with Ron on his left and Eleanor on his right. "Now say 'up'!" Madame Hooch shouted, "and DO NOT MOUNT YOUR BROOM!!!"  
  
Many "up"s sounded through the morning air as only a few brooms decided to obey their masters. Harry, Eleanor and Draco were one of those few who got their brooms up into their hands on their first call. Slowly the others followed, Ron's first attempt ending up with a large 'smack' in his face, causing Harry and Eleanor a fit of laughter. "Shut up!" Ron remarked grinning at his own flaw, "Both of you!"  
  
"Now mount your broom!" Madame Hooch said, "BUT DO NOT KICK OFF!" Everyone put his or her leg over the broom and a puzzled Harry followed suit.  
  
"Now on my count of three, kick off and point the broom upward, stay up for a second AND COME BACK DOWN IMMEDIATELY! By pointing it down!" Madame Hooch screeched, "DO NOT WAVER AROUND! COME DOWN IMMEDIATELY! UNDERSTOOD!?!"  
  
She was replied by a dull, "Yes, Madame Hooch!" (The type that you usually get when a naïve teacher says brightly "Good Morning class!") And she put her fingers in the air counting, "ONE, TWO-"she was interrupted as a nervous Neville, eager not to be left behind on the ground, kicked of a second to soon.  
  
"HEY YOU!!! COME BACK DOWN THIS VERY INSTANT!!" Madame Hooche screamed, but she might as well have been talking to the broom, as a bewildered Neville rose higher and higher of the ground. Madame Hooch continued shouting at a frantic Neville who swayed this way and that letting the broom have full control over him. He 'flew' or rather swayed like a drunkard towards the castle and got hooked on the spear of a stone gargoyle, his broom drifting to the ground and Neville landing with a sickening 'thud' on the ground.  
  
Madame Hooche rushed over to the semi-conscious Neville picking him and helping him to the Hospital Wing.  
  
"IF ANY OFF YOU DARE TO TOUCH A BROOM WHILE I'M AWAY, YOU'LL BE EXPELLED BEFORE YOU CAN SAY THE WORD 'FLY'!!!!" she added as she helped the moaning Neville hobble along.  
  
"That was quite entertaining wasn't it?" Malfoy sneered, "Oh look what I found!" He said picking up Neville's remember-all. "I'll go put this in a place where Longbottom can find it!"  
  
With that he picked up a broom and kicked off flying above their heads. "Hmmm..." Malfoy jeered, "Where shall I put this?" He was a good flyer, no doubt, just like he had said. Harry felt the anger swell up in him and before he knew what he was doing, he was level with Malfoy. "Give that back or I'll knock you of that broom!" he warned.  
  
"I'd like to see that!" Malfoy replied, looking paler than usual. This Potter was an excellent flyer!  
  
"Well your cronies aren't here to save you! So you better just do as we say!" Eleanor's threatening voice sounded not far behind Harry. Harry spun around and saw that she was level with them on a broom, "and I'd be scared if I were you Malfoy! Because Harry and I are very good flyers!" She added as she made a plunge at him.  
  
Malfoy, who just escaped by mere centimeters, was shocked, the colour draining his face. He quickly regained himself and threw the remember-all as far as he could.  
  
Meanwhile on the ground Hermione and Ron were screaming their heads off. Both screaming two very different things. "ELEANOR GRANGER!!! GET DOWN THIS INSTANT!!! WE HAVEN'T EVEN BEEN HERE FOR A DAY AND YOU WANT TO BE EXPELLED!?! GET DOWN!!! HARRY YOU IDIOT!!! YOU'LL BREAK YOUR NECK IF YOU FALL!!!"  
  
"GO HARRY!!! SHOW HIM WHAT A GIT HE REALLY IS!!! THAT'S IT ELEANOR!!! KICK THAT STUPID PRAT IF YOU NEED!!!"  
  
"Harry! GET IT!!!" Eleanor screamed, watching the little ball travel horizontally through the air before plunging towards the ground. What Harry did next he could hardly remember, what made him do it he absolutely didn't know and how he did it, well everything seemed possible to him after he found out that he was a wizard. He chased after it at breakneck speed grabbing it out of the air and halting just before he reached the castle wall. He didn't notice a bewildered and surprised professor McGonagall looking out of the window, or his joy would have been short lived.  
  
Meanwhile...  
  
"So do you think you mud-blood can kick me off this broom?" Malfoy asked, "You think you can fly even though you're a filthy mud-blood? You and that stupid prat Potter think you're heroes?" Eleanor's blood ran cold. She whisked around and flew straight at him and shot a well-aimed kick at his shoulder. This made Malfoy unstable and scared and he flew back down, but Eleanor wasn't done with him yet and chased after him and caught him before he reached the ground, dangling him by his collar, and kicking his broom away.  
  
"Don't you ever, ever, EVER call me OR my sister a mud-blood!" she said coldly, "Or YOU will PAY BIG!!!" and thrust him onto the ground, "Arrogant git!" she added.  
  
Eleanor drifted back to the ground and dismounted and started walking away towards the Gryffindors, who were busy congratulating and cheering Harry. She stopped halfway and turned around, "Malfoy, I wouldn't try cursing me behind my back!" she said; Malfoy standing with his wand in his hand as if about to strike, "Because one: you probably don't know any curses, two: you'll get into trouble, and three: it's the most un-honorably thing you could do and I don't think you want to let your honor fall even more after getting trashed by a GRYFFINDOR GIRL!!!" and she turned back with a happy victorious smile on her face, leaving the poor Malfoy hanging with his mouth open, quite taken aback.  
  
"Harry Potter and Eleanor Granger!!!" a voice echoed across the lawn, "Come here this very second!" an angry professor McGonagall marched out to group of students. Heads hung, Harry and Eleanor followed her back up to the castle.  
  
"Professor?" Eleanor asked in her sweetest, most timid voice, "Umm... are we going to get expelled? Because it wasn't Harry's fault! I told him to get the remember-all, and as for me kicking Malfoy, well, he called me a filthy mudblood and that set me off! Honestly!" she said giving professor McGonagall her sweetest, most innocent smile. She's not like her sister at all! Harry thought as they followed professor McGonagall down a passageway. McGonagall just sighed and shook her head.  
  
They reached a classroom door and professor McGonagall knocked and asked, "Excuse me, professor Quirrell? Could I please have Wood for a minute?"  
  
"Wood?" Eleanor whispered, "I didn't think they'd cane anymore as a punishment!" Harry gulped, well at least they weren't getting expelled, he thought.  
  
"Mr Wood," professor MacGonagall said talking to a tall boy with brown hair, "You can chose your new Seeker from these two! This is Harry Potter and Eleanor Granger." "Mr Potter, Ms Granger this is Oliver Wood he is the Gryffindor Quidditch captain this year." She said turning to the two.  
  
"Er... Professor?" Oliver asked looking down at Harry and Eleanor with knitted brows, "Aren't they a bit young?" "Well I'll ask if the headmaster can bend a few rules," MacGonagal answered excitedly, "they are the best I've seen in ages! You can choose who'll be reserve and who can be active." "Sure!" Oliver replied, looking enthusiastically at them.  
  
"It has been so long since the Quidditch cup has been ours!" the professor exclaimed, "Last year I couldn't even look Snape in the eye for weeks, when Slytherin won for the how-many-ith time!"  
  
"You two better do well!" she said stooping low and whispering into their ears, "or I'll have to be obliged to punish you!" "Well get back to your classes!" she said straightening up with a smile and walked away.  
  
"I'll meet you two on the Quidditch pitch at six, ok?" Oliver asked. Eleanor nodded, "We'll be there!" she said.  
  
"Wait, Eleanor! Wrong way!" Harry said as she turned to the left. "No follow me, I want to show you something!" and she led him down another corridor and stopped at a glass cabinet. "Look Harry!" she said with pride, "It must run in the family!" and pointed at a small brass plate on an old Quidditch trophy.  
  
Harry's heart skipped a beat as he saw the engraving spell 'James Potter'. He turned and looked at Eleanor her eyes still fixed on the little plate, pride and misery danced about in her hazel eyes and for a minute they stood there in silence just staring at the plate.  
  
* * * "I don't believe it!" that was Ron's and Hermione's answer when they told them the news, Ron's full of pride and envy, Hermione's full of pride and horror. "Well done guys!" George said, "Oliver told us! We're on the team too! We're the Beaters!" he slashed his hand through the air, holding a non- existing bat. "You two must be great flyers!" Fred whispered.  
  
"You two must be the youngest players in..." Ron wondered. "A centaury." Harry finished for Ron, causing his jaw to drop showing it's contents. "Yuk!" Hermione said in a disgusted voice, "Close your mouth!" "Don't tell anyone!" Eleanor warned, "Oliver told us to keep it quiet." "You can trust us!" Hermione said sighing.  
  
"And that was a great Malfoy-thrashing!" George congratulated. "News flies fast, doesn't it?" Eleanor remarked, smiling broadly. "Oh yes it does!" Fred said, "Ron told Dean, Dean told Angelina and Angelina told Fred and Fred told me!" Fred ended trying to keep a straight face. "You idiot!" Eleanor laughed, "So who told poor George?"  
  
"So packing your bags yet Potter?" a drawling voice sounded behind Harry. Harry spun around and saw Malfoy closely followed by a scowling Crabbe and Goyle. "I see your more daring with your cronies behind you!" Eleanor said coolly, helping herself to a big spoon of mash potato topping it with a thick blob of gravy. "That's quite sad you know!" she said casually, purposely- accidentally flinging the contents of her spoon onto the front Malfoy's robes. "You!" Malfoy breathed furiously, "You DAMNED IDIOT!" "Oops! So sorry!" she apologized full of sarcasm. Crabbe and Goyle cracked their knuckles, but refrained to that, as the Head Table was full. "And for your information, Mafoy, we aren't packing our bags yet, for a long time!" Eleanor ended gleefully, with Fred, George and Ron chanting in the background, "Malfoy had an accident, Malfoy had an accident..."  
  
* * * "So Harry, Eleanor, do you know anything about Quidditch?" Oliver asked at six o'clock on the Quidditch Pitch. Harry shook his head, but Eleanor answered, "Just a bit, the basics, such as the players on the team the major rules and different types of balls." "Well that's a good start! As for you Harry I'll explain it to you while, you, Eleanor go fly around and warm up!" "K" Eleanor replied picking up a broom and zooming off.  
  
"Hmmm... professor McGonagall was right!" Oliver commented watching Eleanor race around the pitch, her balck wavy hair billowing behind her, "Ok, now back to business..." and he explained all the types off balls, players and rules in Quidditch.  
  
At last he showed Harry a small, winged, golden ball. "See this Harry!" he said holding it up, "This is the most important thing in the game to you Harry, the Seeker has to find this tiny ball and catch it, earning their team a hundred and fifty points and ending the game." And he let go of it, "Eleanor! See the Snitch?" Eleanor nodded, "Please catch it and bring it back!"  
  
They watched as Eleanor squinted her eyes scanning the pitch, finally catching sight of a little golden glimmer at the bottom of one of the goal posts. She made a dive and caught the Snitch just before hitting the ground. She flew back to Harry and Oliver and handed it to her captain. "Well done! Excellent stuff!" Oliver said impressed, "Now I'm going to hold a short competition between you two! I'll let the Snitch go and who catches it first gets a point, we'll do that three times and see the outcome! Wait till I tell you to go!" Eleanor rose into the air again Harry following closely. He could feel the gush of the wind, inviting him as it plashed against his face, a sense of freedom swept over him as he rose into the air. Oliver let the Snitch go and for a second it wavered around and sped off. "Ok, GO!" Oliver shouted and Harry and Eleanor sped after the Snitch, Oliver watching the black blurs whiz around the pitch, from the ground.  
  
"I'm not a lady in the air Harry!" Eleanor said as they flew. "Neither am I a gent!" Harry replied grinning. Eleanor sped up in front of him and he chose to follow her rather than the Snitch. Realizing this, Eleanor led him around the pitch, while she searched for the Snitch, then suddenly she turned around and with vast speed raced past a confused Harry, and caught the Snitch.  
  
"Great Faker Eleanor!" Oliver complimented as he let the Snitch go again, "Ok... GO!"  
  
This time Harry was alert, his eyes darting over the Pitch. There! He spotted it a hundred yards in ahead of them was a faint glimmer. Too bad Eleanor saw it too. They raced side-by-side towards the Snitch, but something else that glimmered in the corner off his eye made him turn his head. Eleanor noticed it too and pulled up above him, Harry catching the Snitch.  
  
"What?" a dazzled Oliver Wood asked, "Why did you pull up?" Eleanor just shrugged and soon the two were up soaring through the air again, pursuing the little golden ball. Both had learned from their mistakes and it was a very competitive chase. Eleanor occasionally nudging Harry aside and Harry trying to get her to follow him. It went on for ages. If one looked out of the window they could see a big silhouette racing around the Quidditch Pitch, the sky turning dark in the background.  
  
Finally Oliver gave up waiting for them and blew his whistle, signaling for them to return. "Well done! Both of you!" Oliver said excitedly, "A bit too well done, but never-the-less you two both fly extremely well! So I conclude that you both play a real match each so that we can decide who's active and who's reserve."  
  
"Umm... I don't think we need to do it that way," Eleanor protested nervously, "Harry can be active, I'll be reserve. I'm not very keen on it anyway..." Harry could she was lying, so could Oliver. "Well I'd rather do it this way, that way we can see how you both perform under pressure and in a team." Oliver said and that ended it, "Oh! By the way, you should get a broom! One better than this junk!"  
  
Harry and Eleanor walked back, Oliver stayed behind to pack up. "Hey Eleanor, you know in the second round..." Harry started not sure whether or not to bring it up. "Yes?" "Well that glimmering thing?" Harry continued. Eleanor looked away and said, "I honestly don't know."  
  
* * * "So, how did it go?" Hermione asked as the entered the common room. "Oliver said that he wanted us each to play a match, so that he could see who was better." Harry replied. Hermione's facial expression changed and pulled Eleanor aside whispering something hastily in her ear, Ron ad Harry looking on curiously. "I know! I know! Ok!" Eleanor said annoyed, "I tried!" she ended flopping down on an armchair nearby, "Life can be SO unfair!" 


	3. I Challenge You!

Ok, I know this is a bit short but I'm having a bit of writers-block and so I just did the best I could... Please r&r! Oh, ja, the beginning and middle might be a bit boring, but I think the end is more exciting...  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
"I challenge you!" and a discovery...  
  
In the morning, just like the one before, a big flock of owls flew in through the windows, delivering letters or merely stooping by to nibble their owner's ear and to get a bite off ham like Hedwig did. This morning was different however, as Hedwig landed on Harry's shoulder and held out her foot. Tied to it was a small note, which Harry carefully untied.  
  
Dear Harry, (it read, in messy writing) I know that you have Friday afternoon off and I hope that you'll care to drop by to tell me how your first week went. Cheers!  
  
Hagrid  
  
Turning the bit of parchment over Harry scribbled a hasty reply with Ron's quill.  
  
Ok, see you then! –Harry  
  
"Hermione!!!" Eleanor said rushing in, face pink from running, "Guess what!"  
  
"What?" Hermione replied curiously, it was not often that she found Eleanor running for no good reason.  
  
"Cho!" Eleanor grasped, clutching her stitch.  
  
"Cho, what?" Hermione asked again.  
  
"CHO'S HERE AT HOGWARTS!!!" she shouted excitedly, "CAN YOU BELIEVE IT!?!"  
  
"REALLY!!!" Hermione said happily, "Oh! That is SO great!!!"  
  
"I met her near the entrance when I went to get my books!" Eleanor said excitedly, "We saw each other at the same time, and we practically screamed! I couldn't believe my eyes! Everyone stared at us and we just laughed our head off!"  
  
"Who's Cho?" Harry asked.  
  
"She was her best-friend in Primary!" Hermione answered rolling her eyes at Eleanor, "We went to the Bath Academy for The Magical Lessons! It's a prestige school, we went there with Cho!"  
  
"I never believed her to be a witch!" Eleanor exclaimed, "I mean she was just like all the everyone else, only really smart and pretty!"  
  
"Hmmm..." Hermione replied, "But I thought it was a bit strange when she didn't tell us her exact location of her new College... and there was that time when she fell off that monkey-bar, I swore she broke her neck! But she was fine!"  
  
"If it was a school for the 'Magical Lessons'," Harry asked curiously, "Then why didn't they all the Muggles suspect something?"  
  
"Well," Hermione explained, "you see 'Magical Lessons' doesn't mean real magic, it just means that the lessons taught there are very good! It's a really strict private school, where only children from well-to-do familys' can go. It's strange... because somehow, lots of the witches and wizards children attend it, and I bet that less than half off them were Muggles."  
  
"Yeah," Eleanor said, "We never knew who was one and who wasn't. All we knew was that we weren't allowed to say a thing, about magic, we just learned what every normal muggle child would have learned. All our teachers were witches or wizards though and a few of the muggles that graduated went to Hogwarts."  
  
"Come to think off it..." Hermione wondered, "I think that they hand-select the muggle children, like they did with us, who have the potential to become a witch or wizard, and help and coach them along the way, without us noticing. As well as teaching the children of magical heritage."  
  
"I heard off a school like that," Ron said interested, "My parents wanted to send me there so that I could mix with other witches and wizards, but when they saw the fee, they decided to send me another school instead."  
  
"Anyway," Eleanor continued, "Cho said we should meet her on Friday afternoon in the Library, she said that we don't have lessons then and that she'll love to see you!"  
  
After leaving the Gryffindor table Harry felt many eyes and whispers follow him as he walked to his lessons. The day before he hadn't really noticed them, due to the rushing and excitement. But today it really stood out.  
  
"Over there!"  
  
"Where?"  
  
"Next to that girl with black hair and that red-head!"  
  
"Wow!"  
  
"So that's REALLY him!"  
  
"Yeah, did you see his face?"  
  
"and his scar?"  
  
Conversations like this followed Harry everywhere. People pointing, staring and whispering. Some girls actually bumped into him on purpose, blushing and excusing themselves trying to make friends with Harry. It made him feel sick, sick, sick. He nearly even thought of getting Eleanor to link arms with him so that it hopefully stop. He never imagined it being like this. Eleanor noticed it too, obviously, but only said "Just leave it Harry, it'll die down eventually." Ron looked like he was rather enjoying it; Hermione just ignored it and pretended she saw nothing.  
  
"Transfiguration is one of the most complex arts of the magical world," professor McGonagall taught her pupils, the Gryffindors and the Hufflepuffs, "Therefore I'll stand no nonsense or misbehavior. Those who choose to fool around with be dealt with severely!"  
  
"Now does anyone know anything about Transfiguration?" She asked. Hermione's hand speared the air in response. "Miss Granger?"  
  
"Transfiguration is the art of changing or transfiguring one thing to another. It is quite simple to transform a small object, and it gets harder and harder if you try bigger ones."  
  
"Excellent Miss Granger!" professor McGonagall exclaimed, "Two points to Gryffindor!" Hermione looked smugly around her before settling down, causing Ron to roll his eyes.  
  
"Are there any other things you know about Transfiguration?" Eleanor put her hand up. "Go ahead Miss Granger!"  
  
"I heard... that there are people who can turn themselves into animals at wish, without the aid of a wand or spell. They are called animagus, I think." Eleanor said.  
  
"Well done!" her teacher said, "That is all correct, we will be learning more about the subject when you are in your fourth year. Another two points to Gryffindor!"  
  
The class flew by quickly as they were trying to transform a beetle to a button. Neville blasting his beetle to pieces, scorching a hole in the desk; Ron squashing his, with his wand; Harry's beetle dodging his spell and running away; and Hermione's and Eleanor turning into bright copper buttons.  
  
Soon they found themselves sitting in the Great Hall helping them to a warm lunch. "So Potter had fun in detention?" Malfoy sneered walking past flanged by his cronies.  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about Malfoy." Harry said not even bothering to turn around, "So just go away and go talk nonsense to someone else!"  
  
Malfoy's eyes widened, "Surely you got detention after what you did!"  
  
"No, he didn't!" Eleanor replied, "So just stroll off! If you're lost, look for other people with the same colour tie as you!" "Feeling overconfident are we?" Malfoy said softly, "We'll see about that!"  
  
"I challenge you to a duel!" he said, "A proper wizarding duel, you know? Or doesn't the famous celebrity Harry Potter not know what a wizarding duel is?" Seeing Harry's confused face.  
  
"Of course he does!" Ron said.  
  
"What time?" Harry replied coolly, ignoring Hermione's "No Harry! Don't accept! Don't do it!"  
  
"Midnight, in the astromy tower!" Malfoy said.  
  
"I'm his second!" Ron said firmly, Malfoy turned around and looked at his orangutan pals, "Goyle's mine!" and he walked off.  
  
"Umm... Ron?" Harry asked when Malfoy and his gang were well out of earshot, "What's a wizarding duel like and what do you mean by you're my second?"  
  
"A wizarding duel is where you throw spells and curses at your enemy." Ron explained, "And I'm your second, as in take over if you die."  
  
"But that won't happen, as both of you don't know any spells well enough to cause any damage of much concern." He added seeing Harry gulp at the 'if you die' bit.  
  
"Harry!" Eleanor said seriously, "Malfoy is more likely to know more spells and curses than the entire first year put together! He comes from a pureblood wizarding family. His father was a follower of Voldemort!" Ron and Hermione's flinching at the mentioning of the Dark Lord's name, "Malfoy is bound to know some curses at least. I doubt his daddy would let him come to Hogwarts without a good amount of spells ready to use when the occasion arises." Eleanor continued ignoring their flinches.  
  
"But yesterday you told him he probably didn't know any spells!" Ron said forgetting his crush, "You're just contradicting yourself!"  
  
"Yes, I am," Eleanor admitted, "Because now when I think about him challenging Harry to a duel, he's bound to know some spells! What's the point of challenging someone when you know any!" she said causing Ron to blush with embarrassment and go quite.  
  
Now it was Hermione's turn to nag... "Harry, I think it's very selfish of you to do this!" she said, "Think of the points you'll loose for Gryffindor if you get caught!"  
  
"He won't!" Ron snapped.  
  
"And just after Eleanor and I got those points in Transfiguration!" Hermione continued ignoring Ron, "Wouldn't you like to see the House Cup ours this year? Doing this doesn't help it in anyway!"  
  
The rest of the day didn't go on as pleasantly as it started, with Ron's constant hints, such as "Try any spell you know, and if it doesn't work throw your wand aside and punch him in the face or something." "Try stand at the opposite side of the stairs to that Malfoy or Goyle can't push you down the stairs." making his stomach lurge with nerves.  
  
Hermione also chose not to give up persuading Harry not to go, "It's just stupid Harry! Malfoy probably didn't even expect you to accept!" "You'll get into SO much trouble if you get caught! One for being out of bed and two for dueling with Malfoy!" Eleanor just didn't say anything; Harry supposed she disagreed with him, just worrying about his safety more than the points that could get lost in the process.  
  
When Ron and Harry left went to bed they left their clothes on and waited silently for the clock to tick twelve. Finally they heard the soft ding- dong in the common room and they got up to leave. Everything was quite and dark, the fires had been extinguished in the common room, the armchairs and tables casting deranged shapes across the floor.  
  
"So still going, are we?" a cold girls voice asked.  
  
"God! Hermione!" Harry said shocked,  
  
"and Eleanor." Eleanor said turning around in her chair.  
  
"What are you two doing here?" Ron asked shocked, "Go back to bed!"  
  
"Not unless you go!" Hermione said angrily, "I think it's really, really selfish of you! You know how high the chances are that you'll get lost, get into trouble or get hurt are?" she said following them out of the portrait hole.  
  
"Not only that," Eleanor added, "What if you get caught by Percy, Ron? I can guarantee that you'll get a red envelope next morning! Just don't go Harry! Don't go!" she said with pleading eyes.  
  
"Will you just shut-up and go back!" Harry finally hissed.  
  
"Fine we will!" Hermione snapped, "But don't say we didn't warn you!" The two girls turned around to re-enter, but found themselves staring at an empty painting. "Damn!" Eleanor swore. "Well see you two in the morning!" Ron said and walked off with Harry.  
  
"Wait! Don't go!" Eleanor said, "You're not leaving us here, we'll follow you! I can help with some spells!" Excitement flashing across her face. "If we get caught," Hermione said crossly, "I'll tell them exactly what happened!" "Fine!" Ron said, "Just shut up!"  
  
When they reached the Astronomy Tower at ten past twelve, they found it deserted. "I knew it!" Hermione said crossly, "It was all a stupid trick!" Harry realized with a sinking stomach that she was probably right.  
  
"Damn that Malfoy!" Ron cursed.  
  
"Be quiet!" Eleanor whispered, "Both of you! If this is a trick, he must have told a teacher that you two would be out off bed, so just be quiet, if you don't want a weeks worth of detention!" They all stood with their backs against the cold stonewall, shaking and shivering at the sounds of the night.  
  
"So are we just going to stand here until day?" Ron asked sarcastically, "Or are we going to try and get back?"  
  
"Follow me!" Eleanor replied and she led them down another set of stairs, "This way they won't find us!"  
  
"Shhhh!" Harry hissed, "I think I hear something." They all froze all strained their ears, soon enough they heard a distinct mocking voice of no- other than Peeves.  
  
"Eeeeh! Ickly Firsties out off bed!!!" He said, "What are you doing here? Got lost on the way to the loo?"  
  
"Peeves, will you go away!" Harry begged.  
  
"What's the magic word?" Peeves teased.  
  
"This is no time for games Peeves!" Hermione said, "Just go away!"  
  
"Well, you had your chance!" Peeves grinned, "STUDENTS OUT OFF BED!!!"  
  
"Please, Peeves! Will you please be quiet and go away!" Eleanor pleaded, "Please?"  
  
"Too late Missy!" Peeves replied, "STUDENTS OUT OFF BED!!!"  
  
"RUN!!!" Harry yelled, and they all sprinted down another corridor just as Flich's greasy voice sounded around the corner.  
  
"Peeves!" Flich said, "This better not be a stupid prank! Now where are they?"  
  
"Peeves not telling unless he gets the magic word!" Peeves said bobbing up and down above the caretaker's head.  
  
"This way!" Ron said and they ran down the staircase and down a small passageway. They reached a small door. "It won't open!!!" Harry said desperately. They heard footsteps near them.  
  
"Alohamora!" Hermione said and the door opened with a click, they all rushed in and breathed a sigh off relief.  
  
"What is this place?" Ron asked brushing a cobweb off his sleeve.  
  
"H-harry..." Eleanor said softly, pulling Harry's sleeve, "l-l-look!"  
  
Harry looked up and saw the most horrible, monstrous creature he has ever imagined. A big, no huge, dog was standing inches away from them. It's body took up the entire space from the floor to the ceiling. But that wasn't the worst thing, it three heads. Each head having a big smelly, dripping mouth with large protruding fangs, capable of ripping them up in a matter of seconds.  
  
They only reason why it hadn't ripped them up yet, was that it was so surprised that dinner had suddenly appeared in front of it. It was slowly getting over that and Harry took the advantage off wrecking the door open and pushing them all through, slamming the door closed on it's three heads.  
  
They ran all the way back to the Gryffindor tower, panting and huffing when they reached the Pink Lady, "Where have you youngsters been?" she asked.  
  
"Pig snout!"  
  
"Why the heck would they keep such a thing locked up in a place like that?" Ron said once the were safely back in the common room, "I mean the least they could do is give it a bit off exercise and sunlight, look at it!"  
  
"Didn't you look at what it was standing on?" Eleanor asked.  
  
"Well, no!" Harry said crossly, "I was just a bit busy looking at his heads, what about you?"  
  
"He or it was standing on a trapdoor!" Eleanor said matter-of-factly, "Do I need to spell it out for you? That dog is guarding something!"  
  
"WELL!" Hermione said, getting over her shock and becoming moody and cross again, "I would like to go to bed now! Before any of you think of any more crazy ideas that could get us killed, or even worse, expelled!" and she turned around and walked back to her dormitory.  
  
"Geez! She's talking as if we dragged her along or something!" Ron said, "She has a major problem!"  
  
"Hmmm..." Harry replied, "Well, night Eleanor." Wondering why she hadn't followed Hermione.  
  
"Good-night!" she replied, "I wanted Hermione to sleep before me, so she wouldn't stay up the night talking about it and making Lavender and Parvrati suspicious." And she too retired for the night.  
  
  
  
The week flew by quickly and soon Harry and Ron, (Hermione and Eleanor choose to ignore them pretend they didn't exist after the three-headed doggy incident) found themselves sitting in Hagrid's hut, helping themselves to Hagrid's rock-cakes.  
  
"Urrgghh!" Ron exclaimed biting into one off them, "What did you put in them?"  
  
"I'm not absolutely sure, Ron!" Hagrid replied cheerfully, "What? Do they taste bad?"  
  
"No, just different," Harry quickly replied, "I'm just a little full, from lunch." He lied as he gave Hagrid back the rock like muffin; the truth was that tey tasted like cardboard.  
  
As Ron and Hagrid talked about all the trouble Fred and George managed to get into, Harry noticed a newspaper article lying on the tea table. He picked it up and read it. It was about a break-in at Gringrotts the wizarding back in Daigon Alley on the 31st of July.  
  
"Hey Hagrid?" Harry asked holding up the article, "Weren't we at Gringrotts on my birthday?"  
  
"Yes... Hagrid slowly replied, "I think we were... why?"  
  
"Because there was a break-in, in the fault we went to," Harry continued, "Not mine but the one where you took the package from."  
  
"Well... that's non of yer business Harry," Hagrid said gruffly, "it's Hogwarts business!"  
  
Ron and Harry tried to get it out of Hagrid, but gave up and changed the subject to Snape.  
  
"I just don't get it!" Harry said, "Why does he hate me so much? I never did anything to him!"  
  
"I don't know, Harry!" Hagrid said, "I think he must have bin in a foul mood!"  
  
Ron snorted, "For the whole week? Nah, I think he just hates all the Gryffindors!"  
  
  
  
"Ah! Minerva!" Albus Dumbledore exclaimed, "I have been expecting you to pop in sometime."  
  
"Good evening!" she replied, "I think you'll know why I'm here." "To tell me how your first week went?" Dumbledore guessed.  
  
"Well yes... and no..." McGonagall said, "It's about one of my students. I saw her... I mean I taught her a few times this week."  
  
"Miss Granger?"  
  
"Yes, she really puzzles me!" she said, "She looks so familiar and she is so different from her sister!"  
  
She's smart and gets all the spells I teach her right in the first shot. She's smart like her sister, but in a different way."  
  
And what haunts me the most is that smile. I have seen it before, that pleased smile that I got when I awarded Gryffindor two points, the smile that makes me feel young and that makes me feel that she is a good and honest girl."  
  
"I see what you mean..." Dumbledore said, "But I haven't seen it during this week so I can't say, but I must admit that she looks very familiar, not only her smile but her eyes. It reminds me of one that died so long ago."  
  
"You don't think?" she grasped, "No it can't be!"  
  
"I don't think so either Minerva..." Professor Dumbledore said, "But we'll know in time..."  
  
"I mean they're really dead! Aren't they?" she persisted.  
  
"Yes... they are." Dumbledore said sadly, "Good night!"  
  
"Good night!" 


	4. The Start of the Third Year

K... well I skipped a lot of chapters cause I didn't see the point of writing what happened in the book. Harry, Eleanor, Ron and Hermione are now in their third year, this chapter starts on the Hogwarts Express. Please read and review. Nothing is my own; all credits go to the great J.K. Rowling.  
  
This is the third year for Eleanor, Harry, Hermione and Ron.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Hogwart, here we come!  
  
"So who do we have here?" a cold voice drawled, "Muggle-Lover junior and scar-boy!" Malfoy was standing in the doorway flanged with Crabbe and Goyle on either side, both of which had grown at least a foot over the holidays. Malfoy remaining blond and pointy faced as ever.  
  
"Get lost Malfoy!" Ron warned. Who had only changed by a few inches, looking lanky as ever, his famous flaming red hair and freckles exactly the same as the last year.  
  
"I read that your father got a hold of some gold." Malfoy said ignoring the warning, "Did you mother faint of shock?"  
  
Ron stood up in anger, but Eleanor was before him holding her hand out stopping Ron. "Wow!" she said looking at Malfoy, "You've grown...  
  
"Well yes!" Malfoy said proudly, "Mother said I am two inches taller."  
  
"No," Eleanor said coldly, "I meant you've grown more stupid! I really didn't think it was possible, but I was obviously wrong!" Malfoy and his cronies left defeated as Ron, Harry, Ginny and Hermione roared with laughter, "Shhhh!" Eleanor finally said smiling, "You'll wake him!" as she pointed at Remus Lupin who was sleeping in the corner, "Besides that was really lame! I just didn't want Ron to fly at that git before we even entered Hogwarts." Ron and Eleanor's eyes met for a brief second, and Ron broke off the contact, blushing furiously, muttering something like, "t-t- hanks."  
  
"No problem!" Eleanor replied, not seeing Ron's red face and continued reading her book. Over the two years, Ron had not gotten over his crush for Eleanor, just like James never got over Lily, but instead of shouting out that he loved her every time he saw her like James did, he just shied away from her. Hermione and Harry knew long before now and made it their unofficial goal to get the two together, even though they swore to Ron in their second year not to breath a word about it.  
  
"You know Ron," Hermione said teasingly, "You're never going to get it, if you never try!"  
  
"Get what?" Eleanor asked innocently, she didn't know a thing about Ron's love; she just thought he didn't really like her that much.  
  
"Oh," Hermione replied in the same teasing tone, "Just something he always wanted, but never got, because he never tried."  
  
"He thinks he's too poor!" Harry said in a disgusted tone, "Or are you just shy Ron?"  
  
"What ARE you talking about?" Ginny asked frustrated, "It's not that broom you saw the other day, is it?" Ron gave a relieved sigh and nodded, thanking his sister silently that she had come to the rescue. Not that she knew, no she was too busy in her previous year with Riddle to notice anything.  
  
Suddenly all the lights went off and Eleanor sighed, closing her book, "What just happened?" she asked.  
  
"I don't know," Hermione replied, "Ouch! What was that?"  
  
"Oh! Sorry!" sounded Neville's voice, "I just came to see what happened."  
  
"Well don't sit down here!" Ginny squealed, as Neville nearly sat on top of her. "Arrgh!" Ron yelled as Crookshanks dug his claws into his lap, when Neville sat down on his tail.  
  
"Everyone be quiet!" a commanding male voice said, they all looked up at the ball of flames held in Lupin's hand, "Don't move and we'll try and sort this out!" They froze, "Now-"  
  
But he was interrupted as a soft rattling breathing noise entered the compartment, bringing an icy stillness over them. Harry heard a woman screaming, there was white fog all around and a cold cruel mans voice rang through his head, causing his scar on his forehead to throb painfully, "Just stand aside silly girl! And you will be spared!" He saw a flash off green and a far off voice calling his name.  
  
"Harry! Harry!" Ron was shaking his shoulders; Harry opened his eyes, his surrouning swimming around him and found himself staring up at his friend's worried face, he touched his scar it still twinged a bit, he sat up and found himself drenched with cold sweat. "What happened?" he asked Ron.  
  
"You passed out mate!" He replied, "That thing with a hooded face came in and looked around, you collapsed and professor Lupin chased it away and the lights came on again."  
  
"Here, Harry eat this!" Lupin said handing out big chunks of chocolate, "How's Eleanor?"  
  
"I don't know!" Hermione said worriedly bending over her sister, Harry turned around saw Eleanor lying on the seat, her face was unnaturally pale and her eyes closed. "Is she ok?" he asked the professor.  
  
"I don't know, Harry." Lupin replied as he went over to the unconscious girl and shook her, "Eleanor! Eleanor!"  
  
Her eyes fluttered open and she said, "I'm alright... don't worry... nightmare."  
  
"But you weren't sleeping!" Hermione insisted. Looking at her sisters pale face with concern.  
  
"Must have dozed off..." she said, staring out off the window into the darkness. Harry saw her reflection, her face looked worried and scared, What had she seen? he thought.  
  
"Eat up!" Lupin said, "I didn't poison it you know!" and Harry reluctantly took a bite of the chocolate in his hand. He felt a warm sensation spread over him and with the next bite felt the coldness ease away. "What was that thing anyway?" Ron asked.  
  
"That was a dementor," Lupin said, "I didn't know that there was one on the train, I'll go up to the driver and ask what had happened." He left them eating their chocolate thoughtfully.  
  
Eleanor stared out off the window and nibbled the chocolate Hermione handed her. Her reflection looked so pale, like Lupin's, as if they both had been sick and just recovered. "Are you sure you're alright?" Harry asked her, touching her shoulder gently in a brotherly way, she just turned to him and nodded.  
  
After things had settled down, his thoughts wondered to the screaming woman, her voice was so familiar... he joined Eleanor in staring out of the window.  
  
  
  
"Did I hear it right?" Malfoy sneered, as they met in the Entrance Hall, "Did you really faint when the dementor paid a visit?" His fellow Slytherins laughing at Harry. Eleanor raised an eyebrow and said softly, "Get lost Malfoy!"  
  
"Excuse me! Harry, Eleanor, Hermione?" They three looked up as they saw professor Lupin push his way through the crowd of students, "Professor McGonagall wants to see you in her office!"  
  
"Now?" Hermione asked.  
  
"Yes now, as soon as possible!" Lupin said, "Just the three of you though!" he added as he saw Ron making a move to follow them.  
  
"What does she want us for?" Harry asked the two girls as they made their way to their teachers office, "We didn't do anything wrong did we?"  
  
"No I don't think so," Hermione said, "probably about your..." she didn't dare to finish her sentence as she was scared what Harry would say.  
  
"My fainting?" He asked coolly, he didn't understand why he had to faint, why didn't the others? Then he looked at Eleanor, her face was still pale and she hadn't said much after they got off the train, had she fainted? Or did she really just doze off?  
  
Harry knocked on the door of McGonagall's office and Madame Promfey opened the door.  
  
"I heard that you were unwell on the train, Mr Potter." Professor McGonagall said holding up a letter, Harry presumed was from Lupin, "So Madame Promfey is here to check you over and bring you the Hopital Wing if necessary."  
  
"I'm not sick!" Harry argued as Madame Promfey forced him into a chair stuffing more chocolate into his hand, "Honestly, I just dropped off, that's all! Besides professor Lupin already gave me a lot of chocolate to eat!"  
  
"Well Poppy?" McGonagall asked, after Madame Promfey had given Harry a thorough check up.  
  
"He's fine, but a bit weak, it might be best to keep him in the Hospital for a few days." She replied.  
  
"What?" Harry exclaimed standing up, "I'm perfectly fine!"  
  
"Well Poppy, a weak child wouldn't have been able to stand up that quick," his teacher said coming to his aid, "I think we should just let him go."  
  
Madame Promfey looked as if she totally disagreed but just said unhappily, "Very well, but be sure to eat all that chocolate up!"  
  
"Of you go Mr Potter!" McGonagall said and Harry hastily walked out off the door, scared that the women might change their mind.  
  
"So what was it for?" Ron asked as Harry joined him at the feast.  
  
"Health check." Harry said annoyed, Why were they always so worried? he thought, Why did they have to give me a health check? I'm perfectly fine! It's not like I'm going to drop dead any minute!  
  
"Where Hermione and Eleanor?" Ron asked, seeing that the two girls hadn't returned yet, "Is Eleanor alright? She's not ill is she?" He added worriedly.  
  
"I don't know, professor McGonagal wanted to see them, but told me to go off, before she talked to them." Harry answered.  
  
Shortly after Eleanor and Hermione returned, Eleanor looked tired and worn out, Hermione hadn't changed much after the visit, but looked worried at the sight of her sister.  
  
"So what did you do wrong?" Ron asked as they seated themselves.  
  
"She wanted to see me about some work and Madame Promfey gave Eleanor a check-up." Hermione said, piling food onto Eleanor's plate  
  
"Welcome back to a wonderful year at Hogwarts!" the headmaster, Albus Dumbledore said as he rose to his feet, "This year however, you will notice that there are dementors stationed at the school entrance." His eyes lost its sparkle as he announced the news, "This is, as you probably already know, for the security measures off you and the school imposed by the ministry. I advise you all to keep away from them at all times, as these creatures are not well-known for their friendliness."  
  
"So that's what why there was a dementor on the train!" Hermione whispered, "I knew that there couldn't be one on the train by chance!"  
  
"The tighter security is to protect us from Sirius Black, the Deatheater who escaped from the prison Azkaban." Dumbledore continued, "Furthermore I am very pleased to introduce two new staff-members this year. We are lucky to have professor Remus Lupin as our new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher." Only the staff, Hermione, Eleanor, Harry, Ron, Ginny and Neville applauded Lupin, the rest of the students just stared at the ragged, grey man who as supposedly their teacher. "Secondly we have Hagrid, taking over the Care for Magical Creatures class!" This time a few more students joined them in applauding Hagrid, but it was still a very pathetic applause. "I hope we are all looking forward to a good year and sleep well!"  
  
  
  
As Harry walked out of the transfiguration classroom, he saw Dean leaning against the doorframe with arms folded and legs crossed. He raised his eyebrows and exited the classroom, Eleanor closely following. "Eleanor?" Dean asked in a casual voice, "Could I have a word please?" Eleanor looked at Hermione who was standing behind Dean outside the classroom, she nodded slightly and Eleanor smiled and said, "Sure thing Dean!" and turning to Harry she said, "Go can first, I'm sure I can find my way back to the Hall for lunch!"  
  
"No it's ok!" Ron said firmly, "We can wait, I'm not very hungry anyway!"  
  
"Just go!" Hermione muttered and pushed him along, "Can't you see what's going on?"  
  
"You can be so thick, Ron" Hermione said as they sat down at the Gryffindor table for lunch, "especially when it comes to things like this!"  
  
Ron looked depressed and hung his head, "I know...I'm going to the library to do some work..." he muttered and left.  
  
"This has been going on for SO long!" Hermione said irritated, "He has got to tell her how he feels about her or he'll never get over her and it'll go on for EVER!"  
  
"Should we tell her?" Harry asked, not sure what to do in this type of situation, merely because he had never been in one like this.  
  
His question was answered as Eleanor flopped down next to Hermione. "So what did Dean say?" Hermione asked.  
  
"You know Hermione!" Eleanor said, "He asked me to be his girlfriend."  
  
"And what did you say?" Hermione said excitedly, she was clearly getting into this.  
  
"I said that I'll think about it and tell him after lunch," Eleanor said depressed.  
  
"So do you like him or love him or not?" Hermione pressed on, Harry closely listening.  
  
"Where's Ron?" Eleanor said trying to change the subject, "Didn't he go with you?"  
  
"He went off to the library." Harry said.  
  
"You didn't answer me!" Hermione said, "Do you like him or not?"  
  
"You know what?" Eleanor said, "I going to the library too, I'm not hungry and I need to think this over. See you later!" And she left, Dean following her gaze.  
  
"HEY!" Hermione said annoyed that Eleanor had left without answering her.  
  
"What did you do that for, Hermione?" Harry asked, "Clearly she didn't want to talk about it and you just pressed her on!"  
  
"Oh! Can't you see?" Hermione hissed softly, bending over so Dean, who just joined them wouldn't hear, "Ron's in the library, she'll see him. That might make them sort out their priorities!"  
  
  
  
Thoughts swum through Eleanor's head, as she slowly made her way to the library. Did Dean really love her? Or did he just fancy her looks? She had made that mistake before... falling for good-looking, empty-shelled, pretty boys before and ending up in tears when she found out that were only using her to show off.  
  
Dean's nice, she thought, if he really loves me... well then I guess I'll say yes... but I'm not exactly in love with him. He's a good friend... too bad that someone else doesn't like me at all. He doesn't even talk to me... always says the least possible, must hate me...  
  
She entered the library and looked for her favourite spot between the two largest rows of books shelves, under the big stain glass window, which cast bright merry lights on her book when she was sitting under it on the oak chair.  
  
She let her hands run freely along the shelves, feeling the smooth timber with her fingers as she past by. She sighed, some many good memories came flooding back to her, like the that winter when Hermione found out who Nicolas Flamel was in her humongous light reading book, or when she and Harry hid here after hours. She was lost in her memories as she happily strolled along.  
  
Her heart skipped a beat as she saw a red head just below her stain glass window, pouring over a book on his lap. So this was the 'somewhere' Ron went to! she thought as she approached him.  
  
"Hey," she said softly, "mind if I join?" Ron looked up, blushed and shook his head.  
  
"What are you reading?" Eleanor asked, trying to start a conversation.  
  
"Nothing much." Ron replied laying down his book and staring at something beyond her shoulders.  
  
"Oh, ok..." Eleanor said, "Well you were missing from lunch, so I thought that I might join you. I bet you want to know what Dean asked, huh? Hermione wanted to anyway."  
  
"He asked you to be his girlfriend." Ron said dully.  
  
"How did you know?" Eleanor said astonished, "You didn't overhear did you?"  
  
"No, I didn't." Ron replied in the same dull, depressed voice, "He's been discussing it with Seamus last night, he thought Harry and I were asleep, I wasn't."  
  
"So he really does like me!" Eleanor said relieved, happy that Dean didn't just like her for her looks.  
  
"Like you?" Ron said in a disgusted voice, "More like he's madly in love with you and would probably die for you!"  
  
Eleanor smiled, "Hmmm... Well yeah, I don't know what to do... I thought I'd be able to clear my head and then just easily say yes or no later on. So let's just not talk about Dean or anything near that subject."  
  
"Ok..." Ron said grinning, "So what did you think of professor Lupin?" This was a subject Eleanor would have rather avoided if possible, but this time there was no way of explaining.  
  
"Umm... He's probably the best DADA teacher we have had so far..." Eleanor said.  
  
"DADA?" Ron asked.  
  
"Defense Against the Dark Arts"  
  
"Oh, yeah..." Ron said stupidly, blushing at his stupid mistake, "I should have known."  
  
Eleanor nodded and smiled, "I mean we've had the two-faced man and pretty- boy, I seriously think it was time that we got a better teacher!"  
  
"Haha!" Ron laughed, "Yeah come to think of it, those are very good names! Lupin's lessons are much more interesting than theirs! Remember that time when Lockhart brought in the pixies?"  
  
"Yes and they made such a mess of the classroom! I remember that most of Lockhart's portraits got stripped off the wall!" Eleanor said laughing at that memory, "That pulled his pompous the grin of his face!" she still was angry with Lockhart for making Harry bones vanish in their second year.  
  
They continued talking about all about all the things that happened in the last two years, and time flew quickly by. This was probably the first time Ron had spoken more than a sentence to Eleanor, without blushing or stuttering. It was quite enjoyable, although something in the back of his head kept on going, "Just ask her! Go on you fool! Or else she'll go off with Dean!"  
  
"Is that the bell?" Eleanor asked, as she heard a faint ringing in the distant, "We'd better get going, or the Trelawney will predict out marriage!" Eleanor choked when she realized what she had said, hopefully Ron would just take it as a joke. Ron laughed and Eleanor sighed with relief, if he had taken that seriously she would have prayed for the ground to swallow her. But is she had been closer to Ron as Harry was, she would have seen that Ron laugh was only surface deep.  
  
"Oh, hi Dean..." Ron heard Eleanor's sweet voice, as she met Dean at the entrance of the library, his stomach plunged. What would she say? He edged closer hoping to hear her answer, but something held him back, Eleanor would not like to be overheard, she wouldn't be angry, but very disappointed. It is probably worse to disappoint her than anger her... he thought as he walked back where they had been talking and waited for their footsteps to die away.  
  
  
  
"Hey where were you?" Harry asked as Ron flopped down next to him on one of the many futons, scattered around the Divination classroom.  
  
"Library." Ron said.  
  
"But you're later than Eleanor! Didn't you two meet in the library?" Harry pressed on.  
  
"Yeah," Ron said vaguely, "she went off first with Dean... Where is she anyway?" He added as he searched for her around the room with his eyes. His eyes rested upon her as he saw her and Hermione standing at the teacup rack. She was bending down, her black wavy hair hung in front of her green sparkling eyes, her pink cheeks glowing with happiness.  
  
"Hi Ron!" Eleanor said as, she and Hermione joined them, "Why didn't you follow when I left the library?"  
  
"Uh, I thought you wanted to talk to Dean alone..." Ron replied sheepishly, "So I waited till you were gone."  
  
"Oh," Eleanor said frowning, "So you heard?"  
  
"No," Ron said quickly, "That's why I stayed behind."  
  
"So did you say 'yes'?" Harry asked eagerly, Ron heart skipped a beat; he held his breath as he waited for Eleanor's response.  
  
"Uhuh..." Eleanor replied slowly, a red tint creeping up her face. Ron's heart sank, it wouldn't have hurt more if she stabbed him in the heart a thousand times. He silently cursed himself for being such a coward and letting Dean getting the better of him. He had missed his chance, he knew it, if he had just asked her back in the library. But he didn't think it was the appropriate time, Dean had just asked her and then and then a few minutes later if he had asked her, and she said 'yes' to him not Dean, wouldn't that be awkward? Again Ron cursed himself, Who cares if it would be awkward! He would have her, what was there to care for, even if Dean chose to duel him.  
  
"Poor guy," Hermione said sarcastically, "He must have had a heart attack!"  
  
"No he didn't!" Eleanor protested reaching into her cup and throwing some of her dripping tealeaves at Hermione, "He just looked happy and put his arm around me as we walked here, that's all!"  
  
"Happy?" Harry said frowning, "JUST happy? I think there are other people who can be more than 'happy' if they could go out with you!" he added as he looked at Ron.  
  
"OK!" Eleanor said coming up for her boyfriend, "He was really happy! He was beaming! Is that good enough Mr. Potter?" she added mockingly.  
  
"Yes, yes!" Harry said grinning, "Too late, Ron!" he whispered as he bended forward towards Ron pretending to reach something out of his bag, but seeing Ron's downcast face he immediately regretted doing so.  
  
"Please refrain from making a racket Mr. Potter!" professor Trelawney said as she swept past picking up Eleanor's teacup, "It disturbs the inner-eye!"  
  
"Ah..." She said turning towards Eleanor, "I see a strong, bright future in your cup, my dear..." professor Trelawney said as she peered into Eleanor's cup, "Ah... yes... straightforward and clear is your path." Hermione frowned at Eleanor and Eleanor gave her a knowing look.  
  
  
  
"Hey Ron!" Harry shouted as he sped up after Ron, "I'm sorry! I didn't know you felt for her that much!"  
  
"It's OK Harry..." Ron said not even looking up, "You wouldn't know anyway... or would you?" He asked searching Harry's face.  
  
"No..." Harry said slowly, "I I've never fancied Eleanor, of course I love her as a friend! But something has always held me back from fancying her like the other boys, like Dean. I mean she's nice, clever, friendly and is very understanding, but some how I have never felt about her in that way."  
  
"Strange..." Ron replied, "Because in second year, she was the only thing Dean, Seamus and Neville could talk about. I thought you'd ask her out long before now..."  
  
"Fat chance!" Harry snorted. 


	5. A New Teacher

The Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs sat excitedly waiting for their new teacher to enter, their quills and parchment were laid out neatly on their desks. The door opened and in stepped professor Lupin, his robes were faded and torn, he himself looked tired and ill, his sunken face and ringed eyes made him look at least ten years older than he really was. "Put your quill and parchment away and take your wands out, we shall be doing some practical today!" He said, opening the door once more and beckoning them to follow him.  
  
Harry curiously followed him along with his other fellow third years, along a corridor, that led to the staff room. They entered and found themselves standing in a spacey room, with a wardrobe at one end and a low table with comfy chairs around it, but those weren't the things that caught their eyes. In the far left hand corner the stood a small cabinet, it was vibrating violently, as if something was trapped inside.  
  
"Gather round!" Lupin said, standing a few yards away from the drawers, "Within this cabinet is a boggart, can anyone please tell me what this strange creature is?"  
  
As usual Hermione's hand shot into the air, "Yes miss Granger!"  
  
"A boggart is a curious magical creature, that will take the form the you are most afraid of. The shape shifter hides in dark places until it's next victim comes along. Nobody has seen its normal form before. It can only be defeated, by the laughter of its victim, which makes it confused and eventually destroys it."  
  
"Well done Hermione!" Lupin exclaimed, "Five points to Gryffindor!"  
  
"Now line up everyone!" Lupin instructed, "Think of something that will scare you the most, and when I open the wardrobe the first person has to shout 'ridiculous' and think of something funny."  
  
They all lined up one after the other and thought about something that they were scared of. Next to him Harry heard Ron muttering something about spiders. Harry thought deeply about what would scare him the most, other than...  
  
"Ready?" Lupin asked the class, they all nodded and Harry panicked, he hadn't thought of anything that scared him.  
  
"Ok Hermione!" Lupin said, as Hermione stepped up to the cabinet, "Ready? On the count of three!"  
  
Hermione nodded and gripped her wand tightly. She was scared about what she was going to see... but she'd have to face it. Better get it over and done with she thought. "One, two, THREE!" and Lupin pointed his wand at the cupboard, it burst open and out stummbled Eleanor, a bit of blood was trickling down her forehead, her face white as a ghost. She fell to the floor and crawled towards a pale Hermione and grasped "I tried Hermione... I tried..." before crumbling down onto the ground, dead.  
  
"Ridiculous!" Hermione shouted and Eleanor's body stirred and stood up and shouted, "It was a joke!" the Eleanor boggart shouted spreading it's arms out, Hermione laughed weakly. "Ok! Well done Hermione!" Lupin said, "Now next person please!" Dean stepped up and the boggart turned into a banshee, the most awful noise filled the room, but Dean shouted "Ridiculous!" and she banshee started croaking and grasped its throat. Everyone roared with laughter and Lupin called the next student up. Soon the boggart was changing from a Snape in a hat with a stuffed vulture and red handbag, to a mummy, to a huge spider, who lost it legs and finally to whole room was filled with laughter, as the line shortened. Just as Ron had finished Harry got ready to face the boggart, but to his surprise Lupin shot in front of him. The boggart changed into a glassy full lunar orb.  
  
"Ridiculous!" Lupind shouted and it fell to the ground and shattered, "Ok Eleanor next!"  
  
Eleanor stepped in front of Harry and there was a green flash across the room. Everyone grasped and Harry saw his limp, lifeless body on the ground.  
  
He looked at Eleanor, who's face was as pale as Hermione's boggart, she pressed her hand against her forehead and muttered faintly, "R-ridiculous!" again a green light flashed across the room and Harry's body reappeared this time accompanied by Hermione's corps. Eleanor stiffened and shut her eyes, she fell a few inches backward, Ron who was watching from a distance stepped quickly behind her and caught Eleanor, but he was too late as Hermione had already grabbed her and squeezed Eleanor's arm. Eleanor eyes opened with a shock, and looked up at Ron's face worried face, she smiled and steadied herself, grasping Hermione's sleeve. "I'm fine, Ron!" she said, "Don't worry!"  
  
In the mean time Lupin had taken over and the class's attention was once again tuned towards the boggart, instead of Eleanor.  
  
The class ended and the third years streamed out of the room chatting about the lesson, forgetting Eleanor's boggart.  
  
"Are you sure you're alright?" Harry asked as they headed towards the Hall, "You look very pale, you know!"  
  
"Don't worry, I'm perfectly fine..." Eleanor lied, "I just didn't expect that to happen."  
  
"Eleanor!" Dean shouted as he ran up to them, "Hey... um Lavender said that my girlfriend nearly fainted!" he smiled and put his arm around her waist, "Why didn't you tell me? Are you alright now?" He asked worriedly as he searched her with his eyes up and down.  
  
"Yes! Don't fuss Dean!" Eleanor said smiling, her face lit up and Ron sped up on front of them, "I didn't faint and I wasn't going to anyway!"  
  
"Ok, ok!" Dean said, "Just don't scare me like that!" and he gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.  
  
  
  
"See you!" Eleanor said to Hermione, Dean and Ron and she and Harry went through the portrait hole to their Quidditch practice.  
  
"I wonder what Oliver has in stall for us this year!" Eleanor mused as she carried her broom.  
  
"Wow!" Harry said forgetting her remark and staring at her broom it was transparent it looked like someone had frozen a piece ice and carved it to the shape of a broom. "What's that? It's not made out of wood is it?"  
  
"No,"  
  
"What is it then?"  
  
"It's the Ice-Glider, it'd made out of a Andorium."  
  
"What?"  
  
"It's a special type of crystal that is very light can be easily airborne."  
  
"Where did you get it from? Surely it was very expensive!"  
  
"I inherited it from my parents."  
  
"But your parents are muggles..."  
  
Eleanor looked shocked at the mistake she made, but was quick to cover it up, "My real biological parents were a witch and wizard." She said abruptly.  
  
"Oh...how were they..."  
  
"Look Harry, I really don't want to talk about that now OK?" Eleanor snapped.  
  
"Sure... I'm sorry..."  
  
"It's ok, I... I shouldn't have snapped."  
  
"Hurry I think we might be late!" and they out of the entrance into the sodden grounds, rain pouring down in bucket loads. By the time they entered the changing rooms they were soaking wet.  
  
"Finally!" Oliver said crossly, "We've been waiting for TEN WHOLE minutes!"  
  
"Hey relax Oliver!" Fred said, "Give them a break! We have the whole evening!"  
  
"Yeah but this is my last year at Hogwarts!" Oliver protested, "And I would really like to see Gryffindor win the cup! I had a plan against the Slytherins, but now they are saying that they can't play us, because their Seeker has an injury."  
  
"What!" Harry said angrily, "That git's arm is fine! It's been a month in bandages, and Madame Promfey can heal wounds like that in minutes!"  
  
"They're just playing dirty!" Eleanor said, "I mean they don't want to play in this weather, it's just a lame excuse!"  
  
Oliver told them a new plan he had thought of and they went out to try it. Eleanor and Harry just practiced chasing the Snitch around the pitch in the rain and wind. Harry was the active Seeker and Eleanor the reserve. Even tough Eleanor and Harry were equally good, Eleanor had insisted on being reserve.  
  
"Harry!" Oliver shouted, "Come here! I want you to try something!"  
  
"OK!" Harry shouted back through the gush of the wind and rain.  
  
Eleanor aimlessly flew around the pitch, it was no point catching the Snitch is was hovering above Oliver knee and she would disturb them if she caught it. She just passed the goalposts as she saw a small back figure run along the edge of the Forbidden Forest, could it be? She looked down, and saw her teammates busily trailing Oliver new tactics, they wouldn't notice her.  
  
She flew towards the small figure sitting down at the edge of the forest waiting for her. She dismounted and ran towards it, she was excited and scared at the same time. Was it really he? After all this time? As she got closer she saw the black dog run toward her, she sighed of relief, it really was him and she stooped down and embraced it.  
  
"It was about time!" Eleanor said sitting down next to it, "I never thought you'd come!" The dog cocked his head and licked her face, as if he was saying "Of course I came! I promised right?"  
  
"Well..." Eleanor said looking at her watch, "I better go, or the other will miss me. You better hide well! Don't let me see you here again!" the dog nodded its head and she picked up her broom and flew back to the pitch.  
  
  
  
"Hey how was the practice?" Hermione asked as the entered the Common Room, leaving wet tracks all over the floor.  
  
"Good!" Harry said exhausted, "We're playing against Ravenclaw instead of Slytherin, so Oliver had to change the whole plan."  
  
"Why?" Ron asked and they boys went into deep conversation about Quidditch. Eleanor saw her chance and pulled Hermione aside.  
  
"What's wrong?" Hermione asked anxiously, as she saw her sister's worried face.  
  
"I saw him!" Eleanor whispered, "In disguise..."  
  
"What?" Hermione exclaimed, "Here at Hogwarts?"  
  
"Shhh! Of course here! In the grounds!"  
  
"Wouldn't he get caught?"  
  
"No, nobody knows. Except..."  
  
"Hmmm... but it's not like he's going to change form and tell Dumbledore. He'll think there's something very wrong, he's meant to be dead!"  
  
"Well... I'm not sure, there are lots of other ways of doing it, I'd rather you get Crookshanks to get rid of him!"  
  
"Eleanor!"  
  
"Hey it's his fault fifteen people died! And that Snuffles was in Azkaban! Besides, everyone thinks he's dead anyway, they won't miss him."  
  
"Ron would!"  
  
"Just do it!"  
  
"Yeah I will try... but Ron!"  
  
"What about Ron?"  
  
"When Ron finds that Scrabbles is gone and finds blood all over his bed sheets and Croakshanks with a rat-tail dangling from his mouth, wouldn't he have the slightest suspicion that Crokkshanks might have eaten Scrabbles?"  
  
"Well, we'll tell him some time, just not now, he told me not to tell anyone, not yet."  
  
"But there won't be any evidence that he's innocent!"  
  
"Hey! I'm here!"  
  
"Ok, I'll see what I can get Crookshanks to do!"  
  
"Good, but don't make it messy, the less blood and tail-dangling from mouth the better!"  
  
"I see what I can do! Ok!"  
  
"Yes! Just be quiet!"  
  
"I really think it's safer that you go to Dumbledore you know!"  
  
"NO! I swore not to tell anyone! It's too risky! We'll just have to wait for the time!"  
  
"Fine!" 


	6. Hufflepuff vs Gryffindor

Gryffindor vs. Hufflepuff  
  
"Ready everyone?" the nervous Quidditch Captain, Oliver Wood asked.  
  
Harry nodded along with his other teammates, "Yeah guys don't be too nervous, I mean the Hufflepuffs have always been an easy match, last time Harry here caught the Snitch in a matter of minutes!" Fred said encouragingly.  
  
"Yeah..." Angelina said slowly, "But look at the weather, the Hufflepuffs are all bigger than us, if anyone's to be blown away..."  
  
"It'll be me." Harry said quickly, "Don't worry I'll be fine!"  
  
"Ok here we go!" Oliver said and they all stepped out onto the muddy, sodden pitch. Soon they were up in the air and the game begun. Harry couldn't make out what was going on, he only heard the roaring of the wind and the hissing of the rain. He was starting to worry, he had already been blown of-course several times and he couldn't see the snitch in this weather. The Hufflepuff Seeker, Cedric Diggory obviously had the advantage over this match, he was bigger and heavier then Harry and so wouldn't be blown off as easily.  
  
Helplessly he flew around the pitch praying for the bad weather to ease, and hoping that Diggory hadn't found the Snitch yet. Once or twice he had flown to the score board and saw that luckily Gryffindor was still leading by a big amount of points, with luck the Snitch would find it's way into Harry seeing range.  
  
Suddenly he saw the yellow blur of Cedric whiz past and he quickly sped after him. They chased the Snitch near the stands, but suddenly Harry felt everything go silent, the wind and rain stopped roaring and hissing even though they hadn't stopped and Harry heard that familiar screaming again, as he felt himself slip of his broom and fall into a white fog. As he fell he saw a big brown shaggy dog sitting on one of the lower stands. It looked familiar, like the one he saw when he was waiting for the Knight Bus.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Meanwhile...  
  
Eleanor say Harry slowly slip from his broom, she looked down from the reserve bench and saw three hooded figures stare up at his falling shape. She felt the familiar iciness come over her and it all went black. No! I can't let this happen! She thought desperately, trying to fight it off, You've got to get Harry!!! Be Strong! GO ON!!! She thought as she clenched her teeth and flew towards the falling Harry. How she got from the bench to Harry she did not know, but she found herself catching Harry's limp body and hauling him onto her broom. Now bring him down to Dumbledore! The instructions flew through her head, And get that Snitch before pretty-boy does!!!  
  
She looked down and saw the three hooded figures staring up at her, she felt a cold sickening feeling spread over her whole body and suddenly everything went a horrible darkness. She heard the screaming and slowly she felt her grip of her broom and Harry loosen. "NO!!!" she screamed, "EXPECTO PATRONUM!!!" and a huge bird appeared from the tip of her wand, it flew towards the Dementors and knocked them over. Wow, I didn't know I could do that! She said mentally, as she saw the majestic bird charge the Dementors before dissolving into a white mist and disappearing completely. Shakily she flew down to Dumbledore and laid Harry down on the stretcher, hovering in mid-air. "It's alright Eleanor!" Dumbledore said reassuringly, "You can go now." She nodded and gave Harry a quick kiss on the forehead.  
  
She flew back up again and saw all the Gryffindors shouting and screaming, the noise came back on again and she heard Lee Jordan shout, "AND ELEANOR GRANGER CATCHES THE SNITCH!!! GRYFFINDORE WINS!!!!"  
  
"W-what?" she stammered, not sure whether she had heard it correctly or not, then she felt a small fluttering against her stomach and she untangled her robes and found the Snitch. Hastily she stuffed it in her pocket and the word 'BROOM' popped in her head. She looked up and saw Harry's Nimbus two thousand swaying in the wind, before flying over the stands towards the Whomping Willow. She quickly sped up after it but was stopped when she felt someone's arms around her waist. She turned around and saw no other but that stupid Diggory holding on to her shouting, "NO! Don't go!!! It's too dangerous, just leave it!"  
  
"Get lost Diggory!" Eleanor screamed kicking him trying to get him of her, "I don't care! I'm getting Harry's broom! Let go of me!"  
  
"NO!" Cedric yelled, struggling to hold her back, "You'll get blown to the Whomping Willlow and-" He was interrupted as the broom hit the Whomping Willow with a tremendous smash. Eleanor watched helplessly as she saw her friend's broom torn to pieces, bits of wood flying everywhere.  
  
She caught Cedric of guard and she kicked him in the stomach, "Damn you, Diggory!" she hissed, "Damn you!" and she flew back over the stands to the castle, dizzy and faint. Darkness came slowly flooding over her and her surroundings started spinning. "Just hold on Eleanor!" she said desperately to herself, "Just a few more metres!"  
  
"Hey well done!" Dean said putting an arm around her as he met her in the entrance, "What are the tears for?"  
  
"H-harry..." she sobbed, clinging faintly on to him.  
  
"Harry's alright..." Dean said, irritated that she should cry over his fainting, "They brought him to the Hospital Wing, professor Dumbledore said he'll be fine."  
  
"B-but his broom!" Eleanor continued, "It-it got smashed to b-bits..."  
  
"Don't worry!" Dean said, annoyed, "It's only a broom and it's not even yours!"  
  
"B-but he loved it so much." Eleanor said crying into his shoulder, "I feel so bad..."  
  
"Well if you worship Harry and his broom so much why don't you go and sob and kiss him some more!" Dean said pushing her off and walking away, "Everyone saw what you did! You might as well go out with him!"  
  
Eleanor broke down and fell to the floor, crying. Dean turned around, just to shout, "Hey! I thought you were different! Obviously I was wrong!" and he stalked off.  
  
"Eleanor! Eleanor!" Hermione said finding her sister on the ground, in a wreck, "Hey..." she said softly pulling her sister up into an embrace, "It's ok, there, Harry's fine... everything is going to be alright."  
  
"No... no..." Eleanor sobbed, "D-dean thinks that I love Harry instead of him... he said that I kissed him in front of the whole school... and Harry's broom is-is in bits..."  
  
"Well... Harry can get a new broom and Dean is just an idiot!" Hermione said comfortingly, "Don't cry about Dean, he was not worth it anyway..."  
  
"And when I flew down to put Harry with Dumbledore, I saw him..." Eleanor grasped, her face lost it's red blotchiness from crying and went an icy pale. "He was just yards away from the Dementors! What if they got him, Hermione? What if they got him!"  
  
"But you threw your Patronus at them, didn't you?" Hermione said gently rubbing her back to calm her frantic sister down.  
  
"But what if it didn't chase them all away!" Eleanor said, "I didn't see if they all got hit."  
  
"It's ok, when professor Dumbledore had Harry safely on the stretcher he threw another incantation at them, and they went away." Hermione explained, "They couldn't have got him, they can't even sense animals, silly!"  
  
I've never seen Dumbledore so furious before! I guess the Dementors got scared of him. Anyway, Harry's in the Hospital Wing, he's awake and well. The rest of the Gryffindors are celebrating in the common room and I came to look for you when you weren't there or with Harry. Everyone's so happy! Especially Oliver! He's so proud that you came into the game on time!"  
  
Eleanor just nodded, "I'm going to see Harry."  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
"Hi Harry!" Eleanor said smiling, "How are you feeling?"  
  
"Fine..." Harry said blushing, Ron had told him what had happened after he fell of his broom, "Umm... thanks! I- you saved my life!"  
  
"No problem! That's what-" Eleanor was going to say something else, but quickly stopped, "friends are for!"  
  
"Yeah... and you won!" Ron said, "I mean GRYFFINDOR WON!!! Thanks to you!"  
  
"Well done!" Harry said, "Oliver was is so proud! And you know what? I think we'll be able to win this year! If you take over my place, that is..."  
  
"WHAT?" Eleanor said shocked, it was the last thing she wanted to do, "Why? You fly better than me! You've never lost a game!"  
  
"But if those Dementors keep on coming back, well then I don't think my record will be so clean..."  
  
"Oh... ok I'll do it..."  
  
"Are you alright?" Ron asked looking at her red swollen eyes and pale face, "You look... ill"  
  
"No I'm fine... Dean just...and the Dementors..." Eleanor said looking at the floor.  
  
"Dumped you? Because you..." Harry asked.  
  
Eleanor nodded, "I don't love you Harry, just as a friend..."  
  
"I know." Harry said, "I'll tell Dean if you want."  
  
"If you want."  
  
"OK! Out!" Madame Promfey barked, "Out! Both of you! The patient needs his rest!"  
  
"But I'm fine!" Harry argued, "I swear!"  
  
"No I'm not letting you go for another three days ATLEAST!" Madame Promfey shouted and a laughing Eleanor and Ron rushed out of the ward.  
  
"You better go to the Gryffindor Tower!" Ron said shyly once they were out of the hospital, "You're wanted there, they're celebrating your catch!"  
  
Eleanor snorted, "My catch? I didn't catch it, the Snitch got tangled in my robes."  
  
"They don't care." Ron said.  
  
They entered the common room and got greeted by a loud cheer from their fellow Gryffindors. Eleanor got dragged away and her hands got stuffed with cakes and sweets, which she suspected had something to do with Fred and George.  
  
"Eleanor!!!" she heard Oliver yell, "Come over here!"  
  
She pushed her way through all the celebration and found Oliver with a bottle of beer in his hand, "WELL DONE!!!" he yelled, clapping her shoulder, "That was some excellent flying! I want you to be active!"  
  
"Oliver you're drunk!" Eleanor said disgustedly, "Go and take a cold shower and think about what you said!"  
  
"Me! Drunk?" Oliver said aghast, "From Butter Beer? No way!"  
  
"He's just tipsy over the idea that he might be able to raise the Quidditch over his head this year." Katie whispered.  
  
"Oh I see." Eleanor said grinning at Oliver, "Well I hope we win!"  
  
"Yeah if you fly we should be fine!" Oliver said, "Harry is good but he has too many accidents and you-know-what encounters, it's not good!"  
  
"Ok, well I'll do my very best!" Eleanor said, smiling at Oliver's energetic enthusiasm, Oliver smiled back in a proud brotherly way.  
  
"So first it was me, then Harry, then Cedric and now Oliver, huh, in one day!" Dean said coldly, he had seen Oliver and Eleanor smile at each other, but through mere jealousy he did not see it as a friendly smile, but as something more.  
  
"Dean!" Eleanor said frustrated, on the verge of tears, "You know I never went out with Harry or Oliver or Diggory!" and she stormed to her dorm.  
  
"Hey Dean what was that for?" Oliver asked frowning, "I never went out with her, or even thought of it and she, Harry, Ron and Hermione are best friends, sure she's allowed to kiss Harry on the forehead when he's fainted? And Diggory, well didn't you see Eleanor kick him in the stomach? Obviously they had nothing to do with each other! What is wrong with you!"  
  
"Yeah Dean!" Hermione said angrily, "Give her a break! She's had a hard time! If you really like her that much then don't be so jealous when she has other friends! You have got to get that through your head! Can't you see she's not feeling well and you go spoiling everything for her!"  
  
"And Dean," Ron said, cross that he had hurt Eleanor, "If you can't be her boyfriend properly, don't be! There are other people who can be it better than you! If you hurt her again, I'd watch my back if I were you!"  
  
Dean looked down at his feet and walked out of the portrait hole.  
  
"Is Eleanor sick?" Angelina asked concernedly, "Is she alright? She looked like she was going to pass out when she chased those Dementors away."  
  
"She's alright, just tired..." Hermione said climbing the stairs to her dorm to comfort Eleanor, "She's just having a hard time. And Ron, don't make it more complicated, don't go cursing Dean!"  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
A few days later Harry got out of the Hospital, it was Tuesday evening and he found the three sitting by the fireside doing homework. "Hi Harry!" Ron greeted him, "Matron finally let you go?"  
  
"Yup!" Harry replied looking at Eleanor who smiled at him, she was pale again and she looked a little thinner than usual.  
  
"Feeling better?" she asked.  
  
"Fine, was perfectly fine on Saturday!" Harry replied, "You?"  
  
"Couldn't be better!" she lied.  
  
"Well if you two stop telling each other how you feel, you can get on with your homework! Honestly Eleanor! You still have to write Snape that whole essay on werewolves and you haven't even started!" Hermione snapped.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
The next day they saw a group of students gathered around the Great Hall entrance.  
  
"Ron can you see what's going on?" Harry asked.  
  
"Hang on," Ron said standing on his toes, "There's a Hogsmeade visit this weekend!"  
  
"Oh." Harry said disappointed, "I can't go."  
  
"Because you blew your aunt up?" Ron asked, "And your uncle wouldn't sign your form?"  
  
Harry nodded, "Why don't you ask professor McGonnagal?" Ron suggested, "She might understand and sign it for you."  
  
"I'll try..."  
  
"Or ask professor Lupin!" Eleanor said.  
  
"Professor Lupin?" Harry asked, "I have nothing to do with him, at least professor McGonnagal is our head of house."  
  
"Yeah, but he - I mean he was one of your parents best friends!"  
  
"Really?" Harry said shocked, "How do you know?"  
  
"Uh... I just read it somewhere..."  
  
"Ok I'll try." Harry said, puzzled, how did Eleanor know?  
  
After lessons when they were heading to the Hall to have their Dinner, Harry saw professor Lupin going into his office.  
  
"You guys go first!" Harry said quickly, "I'll go ask Lupin now!"  
  
And he knocked on his teacher's door.  
  
"Come in!" Lupin's voice said, "Ah Harry! What can I do for you?"  
  
"I was wondering if you were able to sign my permission form to go to Hogsmeade... Eleanor told me that you knew my parents and so maybe..." Harry started.  
  
"I'm sorry Harry," Lupin answered, "I did knew your parents quite well but they didn't leave me in charge of you when they died, so I can't sign it for you."  
  
"But who did they then leave me in charge of? Surely not my aunt and uncle!"  
  
"No they didn't, but the person they left you in charge of, was unable to look after you and so professor Dumbledore had to leave you with your aunt and uncle."  
  
"So how are you feeling now?" Lupin said changing the subject so Harry wouldn't ask whom his real guardian was.  
  
"You heard what happened?" Harry asked, remembering that Lupin wasn't at the match.  
  
"Yes I did," Lupin replied, "I was ill or I would have come to watch, they say you fly like father, Harry."  
  
"I'm fine, but if it wasn't for Eleanor... I probably wouldn't be so fine."  
  
"Hmmm...."  
  
"Sorry professor?"  
  
"Eleanor is an excellent flyer, she flies just like, I've seen you two practice from my window."  
  
"How come she fainted on the train, just like me, but at the match she didn't?" Harry wondered out loud.  
  
"I don't know Harry, but she chased them away."  
  
"Yeah Ron told me she did. How come only I faint when Dementors are near? Why doesn't anyone else?"  
  
"I not sure, Harry, but I think it's because you've had more horrible experiences than everyone, and Dementors make you remember and re-visit your most horrible experiences."  
  
"I don't even know what experience I'm going into when a Dementor is near..." Harry said softly, "All I see is fog."  
  
"Well it's probably best that you don't see what your most horrible experience is, Harry, feeling it is probably more than enough." Lupin said.  
  
"Professor?" Harry asked, "May I ask you something?"  
  
"Sure!"  
  
"Um... Eleanor was apparently able to chase the Dementors away, I was wondering if you knew how to..."  
  
"Well I do Harry, but it's very complicated..." Lupin said slowly, "I can teach you if you want."  
  
"Really?" Harry said hopefully, "That would be great thanks! When can we start?"  
  
"Well I'm busy for the next few days..." Lupin said, thinking what day would be best, "What about Thursday, in the History of Magic Classroom at nine?"  
  
"Sure!"  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
"What took you so long?" Ron asked as Harry seated himself opposite him, "You've been half an hour! WE were scared the food would be gone by the time you retuned."  
  
"I asked professor Lupin if he could sign my form for me." Harry replied.  
  
"What did he say?" Eleanor asked.  
  
"He said that he couldn't, he said that he wasn't left in charge of me when my parents died," Harry said, "But he said he'll teach me how to ward of the Dementors!"  
  
"That's good mate! We don't want you falling of any more brooms you know! Eleanor won't always be there to save you!" Ron joked, "But who is your real guardian then?"  
  
"I don't know," Harry replied, "He only said that that person was unable to look after me." He saw Eleanor sigh, Did she just sigh with relief? He thought, Why would she sight with relief? There's nothing to be relieved about!  
  
Just then Dean walked past, "Eleanor?" he said carefully, "Can I talk to you?"  
  
"You can say whatever you wish to say in front of all of us Dean." Hermione said curtly. Everyone at the Gryffindor table turned around and stared at Dean, except Eleanor, she just looked straight ahead of her, like nothing had happened.  
  
"Fine!" Dean said, "Well Eleanor please listen!"  
  
"She is!" Hermione said coldly, "Just because she doesn't face you, doesn't mean she won't hear!"  
  
"All I wanted to say is that I am sorry! I'm sorry that I accused you wrongly, I'm sorry that I hurt you! I just love you so much that I was jealousy turned me blind, I was jealous that you were friends with others; I saw them all as something else. I was stupid and ignorant, I'm sorry. All I want is for you to forgive me, because I meant nothing I said to hurt you. Will you forgive me Eleanor?" Here Dean ended and waited for her response, Harry saw Eleanor's eyes wet with tears, how he hated Dean, Eleanor looked so weak and wretched and Dean was still here to make it worse. Obviously Ron felt the same way.  
  
"Your apology is not accepted, Dean!" Ron snapped, "You've done your damage, don't think you can mend it just like that!" Dean looked pleadingly at Eleanor, who had finally turned around, but her face was blank and she said nothing.  
  
Dean hung his head and walked out of the Hall. Eleanor looked down at her plate for a second, before rising and following Dean out of the Hall, curious stares followed her.  
  
"This is crazy!" Ron said, "That bloody Dean, still thinks he can be forgiven and Eleanor actually is going to?"  
  
"Dean wait!" she called after him, "You're forgiven!"  
  
Dean smiled and said, "Can I safely call you my girlfriend again?"  
  
"Without the 'girl' you can." Eleanor smiled back, "We're just good friends!"  
  
"Sure!" Dean said.  
  
'You forgave him?" Hermione said disgustedly, "And your going out with him, after what he did to you?"  
  
"Hermione!" Eleanor said coldly, "So what, if I forgave him and no I am not going out with him for your information! OK, just leave me alone; I don't like people going around thinking that I hate their guts! That's just stupid, besides Dean really meant what he said and that's all I care about!" And she got up and left. 


	7. Hogsmeade for Everyone Else

Hogsmeade for Everyone Else  
  
Over the next few days as the weekend drew closer, the Hogwarts students, in particular the third years, were getting very exited about their first ever Hogsmeade trip.  
  
"I'm going to Honeydukes first! I heard they have some excellent cockroach clusters!"  
  
"Have you ever tasted Butterbeer?"  
  
"I can't wait!!! I'm dying to get some new dungbombs!" Harry heard many snaps of conversations as he followed his friends down to lunch, a depressed feeling rising in his stomach. If I only had controlled my anger! He thought miserably.  
  
"Oh Harry," Hermione sighed finally, as they seated themselves for lunch, "don't feel so bad! We'll bring you back lots of things!"  
  
"I'm sure you can go next year Harry!" Eleanor said winking mysteriously, "Cheer up!"  
  
"Yeah, mate," Ron added, "Look we're going to be here for at least another three years and surely you can get your uncle to sign it for you some time!" Harry just nodded and silently finished his food.  
  
"Well see you at potions!" Eleanor said picking up her bag, "I've got something to do in the library." And she shot off before anyone could protest.  
  
"Why does she all of a sudden need the library?" Ron asked.  
  
"I don't know." Harry said, equally puzzled, "Is she alright Hermione? She's been avoiding us lately and she looks all pale and sickly."  
  
"She's fine!" Hermione snapped, avoiding their eyes, "Why do you even bother, she's perfectly fine, she's just got a slight cold."  
  
"Because we care Hermione!" Ron snapped back, "She looks weak and Harry was just asking if she was ok, don't need to snap and get all huffy!"  
  
"And you don't need to pry in other people's business Ron!" Hermione huffed back, "Why don't you mind your own, then hopefully your grades will stand a little higher!"  
  
"I don't pry in other people's business I just asked if she was ok! Besides why are you so touchy about it, huh?"  
  
"Girl reasons ok!" Hermione finally said, seeing no point in this argument and walking off.  
  
"Honestly!" Ron said.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Eleanor sighed, and flopped down on her favourite chair, under the stain glass window. Even the merry lights that it cast couldn't cheer her up. She wanted to be alone, away from Harry. Looking at him made her feel guilty. Hearing how those muggles ill treated him made her feel bad. She pulled out an old yellowing letter from her pocket and unfolded it.  
  
Dear Eleanor, (It said)  
  
Happy Tenth Birthday! Now that you are old enough to read and learn seriously, it is time for you to know more about yourself. I can't tell you about much as I don't know how to explain it to you. I want you to find out more about yourself, hopefully these books will help you along the way. Your foster-parents will be able to help explain a bit more. Please read them carefully and when you start school practice what the books teach you. Keep it secret from everyone and only use it when you are sure that you can handle it.  
  
Your God-Farther.  
  
When she had read it the first time, it seemed so vague and strange. She could make neither head nor tail of it. What did he mean by 'know more about yourself'? Didn't se already know enough about herself? Now it was all crystal clear.  
  
She opened the thick book that lay at her feet. It had a brown leather bound cover, with no title, nor author. She flipped it open to a page near the back and closed her eyes.  
  
Concentrate! She thought vigorously, Concentrate! You have done it before you can do it again!  
  
Slowly she felt the weight lift from her lap. She dared not open her eyes, for fear that the book would just fall back down again. She knew the book was only an inch or so above her lap and she squeezed her eyes and imagined the book to rise higher and higher above her head. Slowly, very slowly she felt something brush past her face. She dared a peek and looked up. The heavy brown book was hovering above her head. Eleanor felt excitement rush over her, she had finally done it! Magic without a wand. She looked up at it and slowly brought to back down to her lap. She felt exhausted, her head was dripping with sweat and she felt like she was going to collapse any minute, but she was happy all the same.  
  
He would be so proud!!! She thought happily, I have finally done it!!! I can't wait till I tell him!!!  
  
She picked up her things and left the library, hopefully she wouldn't be late for Potions.  
  
"Miss Granger," Snape said greasily, as she rushed into the classroom dungeon, "I see you have gotten behind time! Ten points from Gryffindor, for thinking that the class would wait for you!" The Slytherins sniggered, Potions was like Gryffindor-toture paradise for them.  
  
Eleanor looked coldly up at her teacher, before seating herself next to Hermione. Thinking of at least ten ways of wiping that cruel smirk of his face..  
  
"Why were you late?" Hermione asked when they were mixing the foul smelling ingredients to their sleeping-potion, "And what did you do to your face?"  
  
"My face?" Eleanor said shocked reaching up and feeling it with her hands.  
  
"It's so pale and wet." Hermione said, "It was pale before, but now it's nearly as white as Dumblerdores's beard!"  
  
"Is it really that bad?" Eleanor said worryingly, "I didn't do anything to it, I was just working on my Werewolf essay."  
  
"Hmmm..." Hermione thought out loud, stirring the mixture with her ladle, "You better get some colour or they'll send you to Madame Promfey!"  
  
"Yeah I guess..." Eleanor said slowly, "Anyway..."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I-er Nothing..." Eleanor said quickly, cursing herself, remembering what the letter had said, 'keep it secret!' She was so happy and excited that she nearly told her. It was so hard, especially when Hermione had known her for so long, it felt so weird not telling her everything. Last year it was easy, just disguising the books with a simple spell, when she was reading it and making sure that Hermione never got it. But this year it was harder, she had to practice it. And it drained her energy, making her pale and weak. She knew she could trust her sister; she even knew her biggest secret and had helped her keep it all along, by covering up and helping her make the excuses when words failed her. It felt so wrong not telling Hermione, but she wanted to keep the first promise she had ever had from her god- farther.  
  
"You're not telling me something Eleanor!" Hermione finally said, "I know it, you are keeping something from me!"  
  
"No I'm not!" Eleanor lied, why of all people did Hermione have to read peoples' minds?  
  
"Yes you are!" Hermione pushed, "I don't like it! You tell me everything, stop having secrets! I already know one, so don't think you can't trust-"  
  
"Miss Granger!" Snape snapped, "Ten points from Gryffindor, for thinking that you, a miserable muggle have the right to disrupt the class!" He turned around to the Slytherins and smiled cruelly as they laughed. Hermione was so shocked and angry that she forgot about Eleanor and started muttering how unfair it was under her breath. Eleanor sighed, Snape had saved her, unknowingly of course.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
"So are we three going together to Hogsmeade?" Ron asked as they sat in front of the fire in the Gryffindore common room.  
  
"No I'm sorry..." Eleanor said, "I'm going with someone else, but I'll meet up with you later."  
  
"Who with?" Ron asked suspiciously, he had a small feeling that Dean had something to do with this.  
  
"Cho." Eleanor replied.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
The next morning Ron and Hermione made their way towards the entrance, along with a stream of other students eager to get out of the castle. Eleanor had gone off the meet Cho and Harry was left alone in the common room.  
  
He sat for some time gloomily staring at the dying ashes from the night before. Finally he stood up and left the room hoping to do some homework in the library. He was walking along a passageway when he heard someone calling his name from an open classroom to his right.  
  
"Psst!" he heard, not sure whether it was Fred or George's voice, "Harry in here!"  
  
He walked into the classroom and saw the twins looking mysteriously at him, hiding something behind their back. "We have something to give you young Harry!" Fred said, "Something I think you'll treasure very much!"  
  
"Here!" Said George handing him a piece of old parchment, "It is our key to professional mischief in Hogwarts!"  
  
"What is it?" Harry asked, frowning at the old yellowing parchment in his hands, "This is not a prank or anything?"  
  
"No young Harry," Fred said wisely, "This is no ordinary piece of parchment, it is a map! Watch!" And he tapped it with his wand and said, "I swear I am solemnly up to no good!"  
  
Harry gaped as a map of Hogwarts started to reveal itself, slowly spreading from point where Fred had tapped it. Harry scanned the map and saw tiny, labeled dots moving around. He read some of them and it hit him. They were people and other things that lived in Hogwarts.  
  
"Where did you get this from?" he asked, surely maps like these were not an every-day thing.  
  
"Oh," George said casually, "We found it in Flich's office when we were serving detention. It's called the Marauder's Map. "  
  
"Well we'll leave to find out all the wonders of Hogwarts, young Harry." Fred said in that mock wise voice, "Just be sure that you tap the map and say 'mischief managed' when you're done."  
  
"Ohya, and the only non-blocked passageway out of Hogwarts is the one behind Borris the Bewildered, they other two are caved in and the third one is blocked by the Whomping Willow. We're pretty sure Flich doesn't know about any of the secret passageways, too thick that one!" George said and he followed Fred out of the classroom, leaving Harry to marvel over the map that had aided them in so many pranks.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Harry let his feet carry him to his dorm; his fingers were just itching to study the Marauder's Map.  
  
He flopped himself on his bed and held the map up above him. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." He said, tapping the map lightly with his wand, just like Fred had.  
  
How long he looked at the map he didn't know, but soon he heard the happy and exited voices of his fellow Gryffindors float up the stairs. Reluctantly he pulled himself up and went down to meet his friends.  
  
"Oh Harry! You should have seen Honeydukes!" Hermione said as she and Ron dumped bucket-loads of sweets into his lap. "They have the most and biggest variety of sweets I have ever seen!"  
  
"I can't wait to give Fred one of those crawly Millipede Moose Puffs!" Ron said in a revengeful tone, "I still haven't got him back for putting one of those dung-beetles in my sleeping back, back in Egypt."  
  
Harry looked up, why hadn't Eleanor returned yet? "Hey didn't you return with Eleanor?" He asked.  
  
"No..." Hermione replied slowly, frowning, "She didn't meet us and I saw Cho there but she wasn't with Eleanor..."  
  
"Stwange swuff!" Ron remarked, through a mouth full of chocolate.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Harry, Hermione and Ron sat around the fire. Hermione busily scribbling on a long scroll and Ron and Harry playing a game of wizarding chess. Eleanor had not yet returned. Hermione was beginning to get edgy about it and kept on looking up when ever someone entered the common room.  
  
"Hermione give it a break!" Ron said irritated, when Hermione jerked her head up for the how-many-ith time. "Don't worry, she'll come back soon. The Hogsmeade curfew isn't over yet. Maybe she stayed a little longer."  
  
Slowly as the shorter hand on the clock ticked four, Hermione stood up, "Come on you two! This is not right! Eleanor is never out after the curfew! Something's wrong!"  
  
Ron gave Harry a quick glance and nodded. "Yeah, Hermione's right, Harry. Let's go look for her!"  
  
"Hang on! Wait!" Harry said as he quickly whizzed back to his dorm.  
  
"Here! This might be a help." He said as he handed Hermione the Marauder's Map.  
  
"What on Earth..." Hermione exclaimed as she searched the map, "Harry where did you get this from?"  
  
"Long story, don't ask now." He replied and stepped out of the portrait hole.  
  
"Harry, how do you clear it?" Hermione said asked after she had studied the map for several minutes.  
  
"Just tap it with your wand and say 'Mischief managed'" Harry said. Hermione muttered the incantation and handed it back to Harry.  
  
"OK." Hermione sighed, "Why don't you, Ron, go wait at the entrance, just incase she isn't back yet. And you, Harry, go to the second flour and wait around the tapestry of William the Weird. The Ravenclaw tower is around there. She might still be with Cho. I'll go look in the Library. If she doesn't turn up in half an hour meet back here, alright?"  
  
Ron ad Harry nodded and set of to their lookout posts. Hermione waited until they were both out of sight and went to a place other than the library. Her heart pounded as she walked along, That map! She thought Why of all things did Harry have to find that? Why! I have to get it of him. Or else...  
  
Or else thing will be just slightly complicated! She thought sarcastically as she walked past a stretch of wall bare three times and wrenched open the door that appeared.  
  
What Hermione saw next made her temper mysteriously vanish and freeze as she stood at the doorway.  
  
"Oh my God!!!" Hermione whimpered, as she saw her sister's pale shape sprawled in the center of the room. She rushed to her and knelt down holding her sisters head. It was cold and sweaty. She looked around the room. It was small, square and rather bare, except for a few odd objects scattered around the room. This included a big heavy metal weight, a small canary in a cage and a chair Hermione recognized as one from the Library.  
  
Puzzled by all this she shook Eleanor's shoulders lightly, hoping to find some sign of life. Eleanor didn't stir and Hermione panicked. Tears welling up in her eyes, she rocked her sister's lifeless body back and forth.  
  
"No... no!" she moaned, "This can't be! This can't happen! Eleanor... please wake up! PLEASE!!!"  
  
She sat there for a while hugging Eleanor. Everything felt blur, all she could feel was she sadness and grief oppressing her. It blurred her vision and settled as a heavy weight all around her, compressing her. She felt a gap in her heart, as someone who she loved so dearly had departed. Thoughts raced through her mind, Who did this? I swear I'll kill them! What will he say? What will mum and dad say? I let them down...  
  
*Flashback*  
  
"Hermione?" her farther said in a serious voice, "Come here, I want a word."  
  
Reluctantly Hermione turned back and faced him; they were going to be late at Ron's house if they didn't hurry up.  
  
"I know this might sound a bit absurd, Hermione, but I want you to look after Eleanor." he said gravely, "With all that happening last year and the one before... your mother and I just want Eleanor to be safe, OK?"  
  
Hermione nodded, yeah this was absurd, Eleanor could look after herself. Wasn't she along with herself the top students of their year?  
  
"You know what we mean... I'm sure." Mr Granger continued, "With his escape... well we can't be sure what will happen."  
  
"Don't let her wander around alone and make sure she eats enough and gets her rest, ok?" Her mother added as she joined them, "And Hermione... Take care of yourself too!"  
  
Again Hermione nodded and gave her parents a final hug, "We'll go outside and wait for the taxi."  
  
Her farther nodded, "We trust that you'll do the right thing Hermione."  
  
*end of flashback*  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Ron looked around and looked around the deserted entrance hall and sighed. Where is she? He thought, Hermione's right, Eleanor never goes past the curfew. Unless... Ron tried to stuff the thoughts out of his mind. But the visions of a mangled corps lying in a pool of blood kept popping up in his mind. Finally he thrust his head into his hands and shut his eyes.  
  
"Mr Weasley?" Ron looked up and saw his head of house, peering down at him in a concerned manner. "Mr Weasley, what on Earth are you doing here like that?"  
  
"I... uh..." Ron mumbled, quickly standing up, "Was waiting... for a friends professor."  
  
"And who might that be, Mr Weasley?" she asked. Ron hung his head, he could feel her grey eyes piercing his head.  
  
"Eleanor... Granger." Her finally said looking up, "She hasn't returned from Hogsmeade yet... I was waiting for her..."  
  
"Is that so?" professor MacGonagall asked worriedly, "I'll go check with Mr Flich if she really did go to Hogsmeade, because..." she added looking at her watch, "it is already fifteen minutes past the curfew and all students who have gone to Hogsmeade have returned. Perhaps you should go to the Gryffindor tower to wait for her, I will inform when I have spoken to Mr Flich." And with that she turned around and walked off.  
  
Ron turned around the opposite way and headed back to the Gryffindor Tower.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Harry paced back and forth just in front of the tapestry of William the Weird. He stopped now and then to check his watch or whisk around when he heard the sound of footsteps. So far it had only been other students passing by or entering the Ravenclaw Tower. A few of them glared at Harry suspiciously, but for the rest left him alone.  
  
Harry quickly turned around when he heard the tapestry fall back onto the wall, but it was only professor Flitwick, the head of Ravenclaw.  
  
"Ah, Mr Potter!" he said in his small squeaky voice, "What bring you here, may I ask?"  
  
"I'm... just... er..." Harry stammered lost for words.  
  
"Because if it is for nothing, I would be getting back to my common room if I were you. It is getting late you know!"  
  
"I was waiting for... a friend." Harry quickly said, afraid that he might be sent away.  
  
"From Ravenclaw?" his professor asked.  
  
Harry nodded, "Cho Chang, sir."  
  
"Very well, I'll go and see if she is in there." And he once more disappeared behind the tapestry.  
  
A few minutes later he reappeared, shortly followed by a girl, he presumed was Cho.  
  
"Well Mr Potter, here is Miss Chang, I'll leave you two to it." Cho searched Harry up and down with her dark brown eyes, "What is it, Potter?" she asked finally seeing that the younger student wasn't about to speak.  
  
Harry shook himself together, as his stomach did a back-flip, she was so... pretty. Her long straight black hair hung shiningly down to her back and her soft-looking lips sat nicely under her well-defined nose. Eleanor was right,- he thought sheepishly as he felt his face turn red, hang on... that's what I'm here for. Idiot!  
  
"Eleanorhasgonemissing," He said quickly.  
  
"Eleanor?" Cho's eyes widened, "But didn't she go to Hogsmeade with Hermione?"  
  
"No..." Harry said looking down at his feet, "I... was wondering if you knew where she is."  
  
"No I haven't seen her, but I'll help you look. Let's go to your common room again, she might be there." And she walk off, Harry jogging to keep up.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
When Hermione slowly came to her senses, she stopped grasping for breath in between her sobs.  
  
We trust that you'll do the right thing Hermione Her father's words lingered in her mind as she blinked the tears away.  
  
"Do the right thing!" she said out loud, "How was I meant to know that this would happen... they could have told me something, at least! This is stupid! I should have known, why else would they have warned me?"  
  
She looked down at her sister's body her shock she saw Eleanor's chest rising and falling, so slowly and weakly. So slow that at first Hermione didn't even notice it.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
"RON!" Harry shouted as he burst into the common room, their half and hour was up, "HERMIONE!"  
  
Ron looked up from near the fireside and said, "I couldn't find her, Hermione's not back yet and professor McGonagall has gone to Flich's office to see if Eleanor actually went or not."  
  
Harry flopped down next to Ron on the sofa and joined him in staring at the flames crackling in the hearth.  
  
Suddenly he remembered that he had left Cho waiting outside the common room. "Hey Ron, I think I left Cho waiting outside." He said, "Let's go see what she thinks we could do, it's no use just waiting here."  
  
"About time!" Cho snapped, "I've been waiting here for ages!"  
  
"Sorry... I forgot!" Harry said sheepishly.  
  
"So!" Cho demanded.  
  
"So what?" Ron asked.  
  
"IS SHE IN THERE?"  
  
"NO!" Ron yelled back.  
  
"Well then what are you waiting for!" Cho snapped, "GO LOOK FOR HER YOU IDIOTS!"  
  
"FINE!" Ron snapped back, why did Hermione AND Cho both have to be so annoying?  
  
"Meet back here in an hour ok?" Harry said looking at his watch, their curfew ended then, and if Eleanor still couldn't be found, well than maybe they needed some help from his dad's old cloak. "Oh Ron, you better wait here for professor MacGonagall."  
  
"K, good luck mate!" and Ron re-entered the common room.  
  
"You go to the library, I'll check the girl's bathrooms." Cho stated and set off.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Hermione gave a relieved sigh, at least Eleanor was still alive. Barely, but still. She looked around trying to find the cause of all this. She leaned over and picked up a book that was lying in Eleanor's hand and flipped it open.  
  
Practicing the art of Ancient Magic (it read) can be very tiresome and energy sappings for beginners. It can be dangerous and fatal to the user, as it can take up all your energy in one go. Normally it will result in paleness of the face and feeling weak and sweaty after your first try. However, on your second try, if haven't rested or eaten enough, it can result in a deep coma and eventually death from exhaustion. Or in simple words, the body doesn't have enough energy to live or to breath.  
  
Hermione helplessly flipped through the book, it was empty except for that short paragraph of writing. Well, she thought angrily, that was a great help! It basically said that Eleanor is going to die! And she felt a fresh wave of tears flow down her cheeks.  
  
"Pull yourself together Hermione!" she said angrily to herself, "You are not going to let her die! At least not without trying!" and she stood up and put a hovering charm on Eleanor's lifeless body.  
  
She stepped out of the room and scanned the corridor on either side; if she was quick enough she could get Eleanor to Lupin's office without much fuss. She opened the door a little wider and hovered Eleanor out of the room. Quickly and carefully she walked towards her Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, Eleanor floating along side her. Once in the classroom she gently lay her sister down, she wasn't sure if she could trust herself to float her up the stairs to Lupin's office.  
  
"Professor Lupin!!!" Hermione shouted, kneeling down beside Eleanor, "PROFESSOR!!!"  
  
Lupin rushed out of his office looking tired and pale. "Hermione, what on..." he stopped as he saw Eleanor lying on the floor of his classroom.  
  
"Professor, this is an emergency, I need you to read this and do an energy boosting charm that is suitable." And she thrust the book into his hands. Lupin nodded and quickly read the book.  
  
"Ok Hermione, an energy boosting charm will not work in this case, but this will." He said gravely as he pulled out his wand and waved it in and anti- clockwise direction and muttered, "canta morphosa timius"  
  
"This will freeze time in her body for an hour, within that time we need to get her to the hospital wing."  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
"Mr Weasly?" professor McGonagall said, as she entered the Gryffindor common room taking a seat next to him. "According to Mr Filch's records, Eleanor went to Hogsmeade for an hour and returned just before lunch. We have found Eleanor, or rather Miss Granger found her." She sighed and looked lost for words. Finally she stood up and said, "Maybe you would like to follow me to the Hospital Wing."  
  
Dumfounded Ron followed professor McGonagall to the hospital wing where they met up Harry and Cho.  
  
"Let me see her!!!" Cho wailed as she tried to push past professor Snape.  
  
"Is she alive?" Harry asked professor Dumbledore who came walking down the corridor.  
  
"Don't worry Harry," he replied as he walked into the ward, "Cho you'll be able to see her soon. I trust that you'll update them Minerva." And he closed the door.  
  
"What happened?" Ron asked snapping his head towards McGonagall. "What happened to Eleanor!"  
  
"She was found by Miss Granger, unconscious on the third floor, in some unknown room. We are not yet sure what caused this, but right now she is in a coma. They are trying to give her a potion that will revive her and give her energy... to live." McGonagall said slowly.  
  
"She's going to be alright, isn't she?" Cho asked worriedly, "She's going to live, right professor?"  
  
"I can't tell you what I am unsure of, Miss Chang." Was her reply.  
  
Cho sank to the floor and put her knees up to her chest and started sobbing softly. "Why?" she moaned, "Why Eleanor? What happened... I don't understand..."  
  
Professor McGonagall just looked down at Cho with a sad expression on her face, "I'm sorry Miss Chang, but we are all unsure of what happened to Miss Granger. Perhaps as a close friend of hers you'll be able to answer some questions yourself." Cho just shook her head and laid it down on her knees. Professor McGonagall looked frustrated at the emotional wreck of Cho, she just sighed and said, "Right, you three best go back to your common room and you'll be informed of Miss Granger's health."  
  
"What!" Harry protested, "No we're staying here! We'll wait till professor Dumbledore comes out."  
  
"Yeah!" Ron said, "If Hermione's in there, why can't we just wait here?"  
  
Professor McGonagall didn't know what to say; after all, they had a point didn't they? "Very well." And she entered the hospital.  
  
"What happened?" Cho asked weakly looking up at them.  
  
"I don't know..." Harry replied, looking at her swollen red eyes, "She said she was going to with you to Hogsmeade and that she'd meet up with Ron and Hermione later. But she never did... that's all I know." He ended lamely. 


	8. Old Thoughts

Hi! Thanks for reviewing everyone! Especially Adil (who didn't review but read it anyway and found it addicting.)  
  
Ramona-Eline: bedankt voor het review! Ik weet het is nog al moeilijk soms om zo snel om te wisselen van engels tot Nederlands. Eleanor heeft wel iets te doen met Lilly! Doei! (End of Dutch) Good guess! She is in fact.... Well you know! Funny how we have similar plots huh! Well you're right when you said that the stories were both very different, so I wouldn't bother to worry, they will never end up the same! K you read this and then go on with your story! LOL!  
  
Please read and review!  
  
P.S. Unfortunately nothing is my own except Eleanor, who is in fact as a lot of you said a bit of a Mary-Sue, but that will change.... So just read on folks!  
  
Beware this chapter will bombard you with information and make you change your mind on some points...   
  
They waited for about half an hour before professor McGonagall finally beckoned them to enter the ward. Relieved after the long wait they ran as fast as theit stiff legs could muster to Eleanor's bedside.  
  
Eleanor's face was unnaturally pale and thin. Her eyes were closed and her body looked lifeless. Her hands that lay neatly folded on her lap reminded Harry of someone who had passed away, it frightened him even more.  
  
"I am afraid we have done all we can, Harry." Professor Dumbledore said softly behind him as he stood at the end of her bed.  
  
"NO!" Cho screamed and she hugged Eleanor's body tightly, she looked up at Hermione. Her eyes were red and her face was pale and blotchy. She shook her head and opened her mouth to comfort Cho, but words failed her as more tears streamed down her face.  
  
"She is not gone yet Cho," Dumbledore said trying to sound comforting, but sounded really rather hollow, "all we can do now is wait and see. Professor Snape has given her a very strong energy-revival potion, it is all we can do."  
  
"If she does recover, she should wake up in three days." Madame Promfey said to the three, "Then she'll be fully recovered in about a week. But if she doesn't wake in three days, we'll have to send her to St Mungo's..."  
  
Harry walked over and picked up her hand, it was cold as ice. He rubbed it willing with all his might for the cold hand to warm up. But it just stayed cold.  
  
"We are still investigating the cause of this sudden happening, Harry." Lupin said, reading his mind. Harry looked up and caught his eyes, they looked so sad and well confused.  
  
"I understand that, perhaps one of you would like to stay with Eleanor during this rough time." Dumbledore said, clearing his throat, "Miss Granger perhaps?"  
  
"No..." Hermione said slowly, "I-I think Harry should stay."  
  
"Very well, is that alright with you Harry?" Dumbledore asked turning around to face him.  
  
"Yes..." Harry said puzzled, why didn't Hermione want to stay with her sister?  
  
"Then the rest of you better return to your common rooms." McGonagall said, turning around and shepherding them out.  
  
"I'm want to send an owl to my parents Harry, I hope you don't mind." Hermione quickly whispered as she walked past him.  
  
"I don't mind," Harry replied, "Use my cloak if you need to and..." he reached into his pocket took out his map, "this."  
  
Hermione had been hoping for this to happen, to have Harry's map. Not for her own use, but to protect Eleanor's cover. Silently she and Ron walked back to the Gryffindor tower. She could feel Ron's sadness, his grief and sorrow knowing that Eleanor might never wake. She felt pity for him, she had loved Eleanor very much and had been able to express it and receive it from her, but Ron couldn't and didn't.  
  
"Ron I need to send my parents an owl...." She said softly as they stopped in front of the portrait hole. He nodded without even looking up, muttered the password and entered.  
  
She whisked around swept the invisible cloak over herself and briskly walked to the owlery. Hopefully no one would be there at this hour. She checked the map and found that apart from the various owls resting on their perches, it was completely deserted.  
  
She sighed and leaned against the wall under the window and took out the heavy brown leather book that she had found earlier that day resting in Eleanor's hands. She flipped through it and found the paragraph she had read had vanished, instead replacing itself with few pages full of writing. She studied it carefully, it was all hand written. It was all too familiar, it was Eleanor's writing.  
  
Ancient Magic is commonly known as the magic without a wand. It is a very rare art and only a few are known to posses it. Among those are Merlin, Albus Dumbledore and the Dark Lord. If one has Ancient Magic they can perform any spell, curse, jinx, hex and charm that exists. Even the ones that are not known yet can be performed. To understand Ancient Magic, you have to believe that all magic is a special form of energy that all wizards and witches posses within their body. Energy released with a specific force, density and speed will give you a specific spell, charm, hex or jinx. Almost all witches and wizards need the aid of a wand to conduct the energy from their body in order to do magic of any sort. Most of the time an incantation and movement of the wand is needed to give off the energy in a specific way, hence the different spells and charms. Now a person who had Ancient Magic doesn't need the aid of a wand to perform any magic, allowing them to perform any magic of any kind at their wish even when they are under a spell. If one with this art does use a wand, which most of them do, it will only help to make the spell more powerful and precise. Making a simple harmless hex deadly if wanted. In fact all magical people have some sort of Ancient Magic within them, only too minute that they can only do magic without a wand when they are very angry or upset. Usually the magic that gets given off in such cases is uncontrollable and can cause unwanted damage. Other times they need a wand to magnify and direct the magic that they posses into spells. Possessing Ancient Magic allows you to control your magic and perform it at will any time. You are born with Ancient Magic and it cannot be learned or obtained in any known way. The only thing you can do if you do have it is to learn how to refine it and stop it from consuming your body's energy. The only negative point of Ancient Magic is that it can take years to 'tame' and refine it. This process is most dangerous and can be fatal if it does overwhelm you and sap away all your energy. But after that using Ancient Magic is most easy and convenient, hardly taking any of your body's energy unless the magic you wish to perform is too powerful.  
  
Hermione flicked through the other pages, but they were just notes and comments she had made whiles learning. She read the first page again and tried to understand it. Eleanor could do magic without a wand anytime at will if she survived. Why didn't she tell her? Her sister, someone who she could trust with everything. Why? It didn't make sense. She flicked through more pages and to her surprise, close to the end of the book saw some writing, other than mere notes made by her sister.  
  
A month after my tenth birthday. Life is so unfair!!! Why do I, I of all people have to learn ancient magic to protect a stupid boy, who caused the death of my parents? WHY?!? Is it because I'm cursed? Was I born under an unlucky star? First I find out that my parents are not my real parents, well that was understandable, I didn't look like any of the Grangers. But then, on my tenth birthday, supposedly the happiest day of my life, I get this letter telling me that my real parents are dead and that this IDIOT of a boy is responsible for it. Well it's not technically his fault... OR WOULD PERSONNALY SEE TO HIS DEATH!!! But still it's basically his fault. But what's worse is that I, I of all people, have to protect him by learning a stupid art called Ancient Magic, which is most annoying and makes me feel sick half of the time. Well when I first read this STUPID letter, the sender said that he was my god farther, fair enough since I don't know my real parents. So I trusted him, since he told me the truth about my REAL parents. I checked with my not-so-real parents and they said that it was all true. So he made me promise that I'll look after this boy, I agreed (not by replying him but by swearing an oath to my foster-parents). Little did I know that this kid was not in fact as I had thought a three year old, but my age. Great! I had to LOOK AFTER a kid who was as old as me, that was that! I refused when I learned of that part. But again I was bargained into doing it as it was the only way in which I could avenge my parents' death. So for all you people who read this if I die in the attempt of saving this kid who likes to act as a hero, please, I'm not all that perfect! It's all an act, I doing this so that I can stay close to him and monitor his every move. So that in the end when he does kill the f a (censored) who killed my parents, I will give him a piece of my mind.  
  
Anyway, as you all know this started when I got that letter. As I am a bit, ok well a lot, of a hot-head (apparently like my mum.) My god farther said that I had to take up a different character and personality, so that no one would suspect who I really was, or my life would be in grave danger. AS IF I CARE!!! Better than being a personal body guard to some prat. He also said as a by-the-way note, that I had to change a feature about myself, because I looked too much like my parents, so here I am stuck with muggle contact lenses to change my eye colour from emerald green to... hazel. Hazel! Can you believe that? I makes me looked like one of them "ooooh! I'm miss sweety-adorable!" Please don't make me puke!!! But that is plain wrong. I did have to agree however, as it was the only way that I could avenge my parents' death.  
  
Perplexed with shock, Hermione leaned back against the wall and slowly took in what she had just read. Eleanor? Of all people did not like Harry, not one bit? Well she had to get used to that! But what scared her more was the fact that it said ...if I die in the attempt.... That meant that she could only read her dairy if Eleanor was dead. Probably because of a spell she put on it that could only be lifted if the caster was dead.  
  
She flipped the page hoping to find more, and she did.  
  
First Night at Hogwarts OK, well I guess I do take all that back... what I said before. Harry is really quite nice... I suppose. Still doesn't change my mind about him being a stupid prat and that he IS the reason that my parents ARE dead.  
  
End of first year. Ok today I did the most stupid thing. When Harry, Hermione and Ron ran of to catch Voldemort, I did not follow. I knew where they were going, but when they called me I pretended to be asleep. I didn't care, I just hoped that Hermione wouldn't get hurt... and I guess Ron too... he's sweet. But not that Harry got hurt in the process of being a hero. But somehow after an hour slowly crawled by, and they hadn't returned yet, something drew me out of my safe-haven to investigate. I don't know what it was... It just pulled me. I couldn't feel it, maybe it was my conscience. Who knows? But I found myself being drawn towards the trap door with that disgusting dog, unfortunately is was awake and so I charmed the harp to start playing again. It worked and I climbed jumped down the trapdoor in the most ungraceful manner and landed on that stupid Devil's Snare. Whoever set this obstacle was clearly lacking commonsense, anyone with a right mind would know that the Devil's Snare could be easily avoided if one stayed calm. Stupid. Really stupid. So I went on and went through the room with the winged keys, also miraculously lame. So was the chess board bit, it could be easily avoided if you walked around the outside of the board, but then something red caught my eye. I went over to check and saw that it was Ron's head. Bewildered I went closer, hoping that the head had a body attached to it. It was and just shook of my worried thought and continued. I heard voices in the room ahead. It was Hermione and Harry. Harry was telling Hermione to go back and look after Ron while he went to tackle Voldermort himself, really one would just think that if it all went well that he would claim all the victory for himself. That's what I thought anyway. I hid in the shadows as Hermione only just passed me by a few inches. I waited for the footsteps to die away and I made my way towards the threshold. Ironically black flames rose from the floor and licked the ceiling. Great! I was stuck I could not go on. Well it was no point standing there, I had made it that far! So I held my breath and stepped through it like I saw Hermione do before me. I expected it to burn me alive, but it just tickled and felt like a warm breeze on my cheeks. I quickly stepped out of it, not wanting to know what damage it could cause if I stayed in it any longer. I just saw Harry disappear through the fire in front of me and quickly followed. I hid in the shadows and heard a all too scaringly familiar voice taunt and challenge Harry. It was Quirrel's voice, I knew it, I had never trusted that gibbering mess of a fool. But they were not alone, apart from me of course. I hid in the shadows of the archway, out of sight. I could feel the presence of another soul; it was barely living, hardly breathing. I heard him ask Harry where the Philosopher's Stone was, to my relief Harry had some sense to lie. It was in his pocket, somehow I knew all this. Somehow I just did. Strange, so strange that I had to record these thoughts in my dairy or they would have driven me insane, by just bugging me every alternate minute. The other soul present screamed that he was lying and I heard the swishing of robes that entangled Harry. I was scared, very scared, I didn't know what to do, I had promised to keep away from this like this, I had promised to keep Harry safe. Desperately I closed my eyes and wished my self to become unseen to prying eyes. I don't know why I did it but I had no other choice, it had worked before for me. So it should work again. And it did. A second later I dared a peek and saw or didn't see my now invisible hands. And I came out of hiding. The sound came back on again and I heard the awful noises of tortured shouts and screams. To my relief they weren't Harry's. Strange how that was to my relief, I was meant to hate Harry right? Well so I was too late I guess, Harry had fallen and was unconscious and Quirrell was nowhere to be seen, but there still was this awful presence of an unseen somebody in the room. I closed my eyes, I heard that you see better the unseen without your eyes and I did. I felt it, coming closer and closer. I screamed and an unknown string of foreign words flowed out of my mouth and the presence went away. Slightly trembled by this I regained myself and tried to wake Harry, he wouldn't. I panicked and cried and sobbed all kinds of confessions how I have always hated him, but now I didn't and how I wanted him to wake up. I felt my strength fail me and I slowly drifted into a fit of unconscious sobs, at least that was all I could remember before waking up in the Hospital Wing.  
  
a/n: ok I know that her dairy part is somewhat written in bad English, but IF YOU wrote a dairy would you bother to spell check and use proper grammar if you were in a emotional wreck? I don't think so! PLEASE REVIEW!!! And to you guys who do: I love you all!!! Thanks for the support! 


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